Nine kidney patients infected with hepatitis B at China hospital
Hospital bosses suspended in Qingdao after patients catch virus during kidney dialysis
Senior managers at a hospital in eastern China have been suspended after nine people were infected with hepatitis B while undergoing kidney dialysis, the district government said.
Officials at the hospital in Qingdao in Shandong province delayed reporting the cases to the higher authorities because inspectors were carrying out a ratings assessment of the medical centre, according to The Beijing News.
The patients were infected with the virus at the Qingdao Chengyang People’s Hospital.
Operating procedures for carrying out the kidney treatment were breached, according to the district government statement.
The director and deputy director at the hospital have been suspended, along with the director of the haemodialysis department and a nurse.
Haemodialysis involves filtering blood outside the body through a machine to get rid of waste products and excess water if a patient’s kidneys have failed.