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.
“We were told to wait for an unknown period to be admitted for the surgery because all the beds were occupied,” said the boy’s father. “We then thought about trying doctors at other hospitals.”
The family took the child to the Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital where a doctor “checked his mouth multiple times and touched the lump with a cotton bud when it suddenly fell out,” said the father.
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The family believe the shell got into the child’s mouth accidentally after they bought lotus seeds during a trip to the countryside in August.
The family have now publicly accused Jian of malpractice and said the misdiagnosis caused fear and stress for their family and are seeking an explanation from the hospital.
Xiangya Hospital told the Beijing Times on Thursday that it has launched an investigation into the case.
“We will give an explanation to the family later,” a staff member told the paper.
The incident has shocked the public in China and generated heated debate about standards at the hospital.
“Calling it a tumour is a serious statement. Can they just be more careful before reaching such a conclusion?” one person wrote on news app Toutiao.
“Do they need a DNA test for the shell?” another said jokingly.
However, some people also noted that the problem may be the result of China’s limited medical resources and the heavy workload of doctors at public hospitals.
“I think it’s just because top public hospitals are always so crowded and doctors have to deal with each patient quickly,” one Weibo user commented.
