Baby for sale to pay medical bills | Ambulances misused by non-urgent callers | Avian flu returns more virulent

 

Rural migrant sells baby to pay medical bills

A rural migrant women from Sichuan has been trying to sell her baby on the street of Fuzhou to raise money to pay medical bills for the baby's father. Police were called when the women displayed a sign saying "Boss fled after industrial accident and we don't have the money for treatment; I'm willing to sell my child to save her father." The woman said she had already paid Y7000 in medical bills for treatment of her husband who had injured himself after falling from a construction site. Some sympathetic passers-by gave the women some money before she was persuaded to end her 'sale.'

Beijing ambulances used for non-urgent cases

Ambulance services in Beijing are overstretched because 80% of cases they transport are non-urgent and do not need to attend the emergency department, a survey has found. Only 20% of the people brought in to hospital by ambulances had life-threatening conditions, according to a report from the Beijing's Health Planning Commission, which found that most of the ambulance patients could be treated in the outpatients department. The commission has suggested that patients are triaged before being taken to hospital as many critically ill patients are left without transport while ambulances are dealing with non-urgent calls.

Avian flu returns more lethal

The severity of H7N9 avian flu in China increased with the "second wave" last winter and the virus may return in an even more virulent and lethal form this winter, researchers have warned. The lethality of the H7N9 virus increased by 48% from the first wave in 2013 to the second wave in 2014, according to Dr Li Feng and colleagues at the Key Laboratory of Surveillance and Early-warning on Infectious Disease at the China CDC, Beijing. In the latter part of the first wave the death rate among hospitalised patients was 17% for young people under 60 and 42% for people over 60. In the second epidemic the death rate was 36% in people under 60 years, and 59% in people aged 60 years or above.
"If another epidemic of human infections with influenza A(H7N9) virus occurs in the winter of 2014/15, proactive control measures on the poultry-human interface may be preferable to reactive measures," the researchers suggested.

Illegal ambulances in Beijing ... dogs spread H7N9 ... new vaccines for EV71: eight medical news stories from China

by Michael Woodhead

1. Illegal ambulances in Beijing
One of the most bizarre stories of the week is that of the 'fake' ambulances plying their trade around Beijing hospitals. After hearing about fake drugs and fake doctors being widespread in China it should not come as any surprise to hear that shanzhai (山寨) unofficial ambulances are also operating. According to the Beijing Times the illegal ambulances park near major hospitals in the city and offer their transport services to patients. It is said that the poorly-equipped unofficial ambulances work in collusion with the hospital staff (who receive commissions) to charge patients exorbitant prices for transporting patients to and from hospitals and as transfers between hospitals. "Security guards at many hospitals have tried to stop these illegal ambulances from operating in and around their facilities, but they are afraid of being sued by patients and family members for delaying medical treatment," the article says.The unofficial ambulances have found a gap in the market because there is an insufficient number of genuine ambulances, the article says.

2. Dogs spread H7N9
Feral dogs that live around poultry farms and live poultry markets may be a key to spreading of the disease, say researchers from South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou. In a study of 2357 dogs, they found that 4% showed evidence of influenza A infection (though not specifically H7N9). Writing in Clinical Infectious Diseases, they said that feral animals "may increase the risk of the emergence and transmission of novel influenza A viruses and serve as a threat to both veterinary health and human public health ... As man lives in very close contact with dogs in many areas of the world,we posit that surveillance for novel viruses among feral dogs living in close proximity to
live poultry markets or poultry farms could serve as an early warning system of viral threats to man."

3. Zhejiang markets ground zero for avian flu
In the same vein, researchers in Zhejiang have found that poultry kept in local markets carry a veritable cocktail of influenza viruses including H7, H9 and H5 and two NA subtypes (N9 and N2), as well as H7N9-related reassortment intermediates H9N9. "The co-circulation not only reveals that Huzhou is one of the geographic origins of the novel H7N9 virus, but also poses a potential threat to humans in the future," they conclude.

4. Hand foot and mouth vaccine in the pipeline
More optimistic news in relation to another virus, namely EV71 enterovirus, the causative agent fro hand foot and mouth disease. A review article from the Third Military Medical University and National Engineering Research Center for Immunological Products, Chongqing notes that China has developed three promising vaccines against the disease that have passed Phase III trials, and are expected to be available in the near future.

5. Antivirals in more kindergartens
The scandal over the drugging of kindergarten children with antivirals is widening, with claims that a kindergarten in Jilin has also been giving the drugs without parental consent. The initial reports from Shaanxi that children were being given antiviral prophylaxis supposedly to prevent coughs and cold have justifiably caused outrage among parents. The odd thing is why such an obscure antiviral as the biguanide moroxydine was chosen to give children.

6. Ulcers from fat injections
A 38-year old Beijing woman is taking legal action against a Chaoyang health and beauty spa for half a million yuan in compensation after the "fat dissolving injections" she was given resulted in severe ulcers. In a court case the woman said the 'medical' staff at the clinic were unqualified and the "no side effect" lipolysis injections turned out to be albumen that triggered allergies and skin ulceration requiring skin grafts.

7. Gay 'cure' clinics do thriving business
The Economist has a feature on the 'homosexuality cure clinics' in China, where people can pay around $1700 or a three month program of psychological treatments that supposedly deter them from having gay tendencies by giving them unpleasant injections and treatments in while watching sexual imagery. The clinics are said to be encouraged by the Confucian social pressure to be a good child and conform with traditional Chinese values.

8. Fake medical ads still widespread
And while we are on the subject of dodgy treatment Xinhua reports that advertisements for fake and worthless remedies and clinics are as widespread as ever, despite laws intended to crack down on the. In a long article, Xinhua reporters describe how newspapers are still full of ads for fake treatments or treatments for which exaggerated claims are made. Industry insiders said the marketing of fake medical products and services was a high profit, low risk business as there was little enforcement. Government departments said fake products were widespread and it took a lot of time and resources to track them down and prosecute offenders.

Beijing hospital staff accused of using ambulances for personal errands

by Ernest Kao

Beijingers claim that ambulances are being used by hospital staff for private trips

With sirens wailing, a Beijing ambulance headed for the hospital was not rushing a patient back at all. It was returning from a noodle restaurant where staff members had dinner that night.
It was Friday evening in Beijing and along Haidian Dong San Jie, an ambulance could be seen hurtling down the street – the vehicle's blue and red lights flashing and sirens wailing.
The ambulance from the Beijing Emergency Medical Centre in Haidian was not rushing a sick or injured patient to the hospital, however. In fact, it was not carrying any patients at all.
The ambulance crew was heading back from dinner at a nearby noodle restaurant. Onboard were other hospital staff, all dressed in their white medical coats.
A netizen who claimed to be in the area snapped a photo of the ambulance as it returned to the hospital and reported the incident on his Sina Weibo account @BG2RHY.
“I frequently see ambulances from the Haidian hospital parking lot drive over to a restaurant for meals. They will then turn on their sirens and head back to the hospital. I’d like to ask 1) aren’t these ambulances under the management of the hospital? 2) Are these acts even allowed?”
His post spread across social media, sparking debate over emergency-staff work ethics and non-compliance issues.
As of Monday morning, the thread “should [drivers] give way to ambulances?” has been trending on weibo, racking up more than 7.8 million mentions and  more than 3,300 shares.
“So even doctors lack ethics and discipline now...this is sad,” wrote one user on weibo.
The Haidian hospital acknowledged the incident and launched its own investigation.
"Only in the case of an emergency would the use of a siren be permitted...ambulances are not 'privilege cars' and any private use would prompt investigation," one hospital official told the Beijing News on Sunday.
The hospital announced its findings at a news conference on Monday and, on its official weibo account, said the ambulance crew would be handed the “appropriate punishments”.
The Haidian hospital does not have a cafeteria, and staff members frequently went out to dine at nearby restaurants.
Beijing’s emergency services have become the subject of much public attention recently, especially after a woman died in the back of an ambulance in early December, when a supposedly short three kilometre trip to the hospital took more than 40 minutes in the city’s manic rush hour traffic.
Source: SCMP

Ambulances will get priority, Ministry of Health decrees

Traffic must give priority to ambulances, Ministry of Health says, but laws must wait two years

Following the death of a patient in a traffic jam on December 7, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Beijing Health Bureau have announced new regulations to ease ambulances' passage through traffic in emergency cases.
The ambulance was only able to move 3km in 40 minutes.
Public opinion on the MOH Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Treatment was already solicited in October and November of 2011 and will soon be released as a ministerial edict, said the ministry's spokesperson Deng Haihua at a press conference held in Beijing on Wednesday.
The fifth draft of the Beijing Emergency Treatment Medical Service Regulation, which began to be discussed in 2007, has been handed over to the local legislative body, the Beijing News reported on Thursday.
The Beijing regulations will be published within two years, according to reports.
 They will stipulate that ambulances have traffic priority in emergency treatment and while transferring patients in critical condition.
Other drivers that refuse to give way to ambulances will be punished and be held legally accountable if the patients die, Legal Mirror reported Thursday.
Traffic jams are a common obstacle for city ambulances, with drivers complaining that fewer than half of all vehicles give way to them.
According to the statistics from the Beijing Emergency Medical Center, the average speed of ambulances in urban areas is less than 40 kilometers per hour during the daytime when they transfer patients, said the Beijing News.
According to the updated version of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Road Traffic Safety, implemented in 2011, ambulances have priority and can't be limited by driving routes, speed, directions and traffic lights.
However, some Beijing residents argued that the punishment for cars who block ambulances would be difficult to confirm.
After collecting public opinions, law makers in Beijing will consider whether ambulances should be exempt from penalties if they scrape or collide with other cars during emergency treatment, said the Beijing News. 
Laws alone cannot solve all the traffic problems confronted by ambulances, Li Jianren, director of the emergency center, told the Global Times on Thursday.
"Tragedies won't happen if people obey traffic rules and respect others' lives," he said during a phone interview.
Source: Global Times

Patient dies after ambulance stuck in Beijing traffic

Ambulance got stuck in Beijing's gridlock traffic

A cyclist who was injured in an accident in Beijing died en route to the hospital after vehicles in rush-hour traffic didn’t yield to the ambulance carrying him, the Beijing Evening News reported.
The victim, a man in his 50s, was critically injured after a collision with a heavy truck in west Beijing on Dec. 7, according to the newspaper. The ambulance crew performed emergency resuscitation and was transporting him to the nearest hospital about 3 kilometers (2 miles) away when they encountered heavy traffic, the newspaper reported, citing the accompanying doctor surnamed Wang.
The journey took 40 minutes because all but four vehicles yielded to the ambulance despite repeated sounding of the siren, the newspaper reported. Most motorists also didn’t give way when the ambulance driver tried to get back in line after trying the bicycling lane and finding the path blocked by an illegally parked car, according to the report.
Beijing’s municipal government said in August it plans to build a system for imposing road-congestion charges on motorists, adding to caps on vehicle registrations as China’s capital seeks to ease traffic jams.
Source: Bloomberg