Chinese doctor dragged away in handcuffs after fight with patient’s husband
- Dispute broke out when surgeon refused to deal with queue-jumping spouse who walked away from clash with a broken rib
- Police say they had no choice but to cuff doctor after he refused to cooperate
Video footage of a Shanghai doctor being handcuffed and taken for questioning by police after a dispute with a patient has reignited a debate about the often fiery relationship between medical professionals and the public in China.
In the film, Zhao Xiaojing, a 48-year-old thoracic surgeon at Renji Hospital, can be seen tussling with officers before being wrestled to the ground, cuffed and taken away for questioning.
The incident happened on Wednesday after the husband of one of Zhao’s patients apparently tried to jump the queue on behalf of his wife and entered the doctor’s treatment room. When Zhao refused to see him and asked the man to leave the situation turned ugly and the pair ended up fighting.
The police said in a statement issued on Friday that Zhao’s patient was a 52-year-old woman called Chen and her husband was a 60-year-old surnamed Han. Han was reported to have broken a rib in the scuffle, while Zhao suffered bruises to his arms and neck.
In the video, several other patients are heard criticising the police’s strong-arm tactics and complaining about how they had travelled from outside the city to see Zhao and would be unable to if he were taken away.