A video showing an emergency room doctor falling and breaking a rib as he raced to save a patient, then getting up and continuing to treat the patient has captivated social media in China. In the early hours of May 15, Zhao Xinxing, a doctor at Linshu People’s Hospital emergency department’s chest pain centre in Linyi, eastern China’s Shandong province, had just come off a short break after resuscitating two patients in a row when he received another urgent call. The nurse on the phone told him that another patient was on the way who had gone into cardiac and respiratory arrest. “I got the call around 7am saying a seriously ill patient was being sent to our emergency room,” Zhao told state-owned media outlet Shandong Radio and Television. “I then stood up and tried to rush there, but I slipped and fell at the corner of the corridor.” The video shows Zhao falling and crashing to the floor heavily because of the speed at which he was running. Remarkably, despite being seriously injured himself, he is then seen getting up and walking to the resuscitation room to provide emergency treatment for the critically ill patient. ‘Born a peasant’: snobby teacher fired for openly insulting student’s mother “When I stood up, I felt a severe pain in one of my ribs, but I could only think about saving the patient at the time,” Zhao recalled. Zhao said he was surprised by the online response as he did not expect the video to attract so much attention. “I just did my job as a doctor,” Zhao explained. “I should be brave because of my chosen profession.” “I feel like I’m just one of the millions of emergency room doctors out there,” Zhao continued. “Any member of the emergency department will go forward without hesitation when they encounter a life-threatening situation.” Zhao is currently back in good health after his accident, local media has reported. His decision to prioritise a patient over his own serious injury quickly drew applause online after the video appeared, with many praising his selfless dedication to helping others. “Salute,” one person wrote online. “This fall makes people concerned about his health, but it also helps the medical profession earn more respect!” Another applauded: “He is a role model for us to follow.”