Chinese baby with lotus seed shell stuck in mouth misdiagnosed with tumour, embroiling public health system in scandal
- The case has shocked public opinion and raised questions about professionalism and attitudes to patient care in China’s health system
- Some argue the case is a result of the country’s limited medical resources and overworked doctors in public hospitals
A major hospital in China has been engulfed in scandal after a senior doctor misdiagnosed a baby with a tumour that turned out to be a lotus seed shell stuck in his mouth.
The 11-month-old child, surnamed Chen, was waiting for surgery to remove the “tumour” when its true identity was discovered by accident. During a later check-up at a different hospital the seed shell fell out of his mouth during an examination, the Beijing Times reported on Thursday.
The boy’s family discovered a brown lump on the roof of his mouth at the end of August and took him to see Dr Jian Xinchun, a dental expert at Xiangya Hospital in Changsha, Hunan province, central China.
He told the family he believed the lump was a “congenital tumour” and recommended surgery to remove it and a biopsy, the boy’s medical records revealed.
The misdiagnosis was only discovered by accident when the family went to a different hospital hoping for a shorter wait time for the surgery.