Controversy exploded online yesterday after pictures emerged of a group of doctors in a Xi'an hospital posing for photos around an operating table as the patient lay there mid-op, still anesthetized.
In the original Weibo post that was rapidly shared around the country, the doctors were asked if they would be doing the same if it had been one of their parents or close relatives on the table.
Besides outrage over the apparent flippancy shown toward a matter of life and death and a lack of respect for the patient, hospital staff were also accused of disregarding hygiene regulations, pulling down their face masks to show off their beaming smiles.
Before the day was out, the Xi'an public health bureau had announced that they were investigating the case.
The pictures, they announced at 9:35pm, were taken on August 15 this year. After finishing the last operation to to take place in the operating room before its relocation, medical personnel took the photos as memento of a bygone era.
All personnel pictured had to write self-criticisms and had their bonuses docked for three months. Three department heads, including the head of anesthetics, were dismissed from their positions.
The doctors were not without their defends, however. Many web users argued that it was touching how happy they were after a successful operations ("happier than the patient's own family") and that their essential and high-pressure jobs merited some down to let their hair down and relax, and we shouldn't add to their stress.
[Images via NetEase]
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