Yesterday, at the Fengtai Court, Mr. Sun's daughter sat on the defendant's seat and shed tears. This photo was taken by our reporter Wang GuiBin.
According to a report by our reporter Chen Bo, Mr. Sun, a 71-year-old retired official, was sent to Dongfang Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine for treatment. However, just over ten minutes after being transferred to the CCU ward (coronary care unit), he suddenly got out of bed, climbed onto the window, and jumped from the 11th floor, resulting in his death. The family believed that the hospital did not provide the promised "24-hour close monitoring," and that the rude attitude of medical staff led to Mr. Sun impulsively jumping from the building. They filed a lawsuit seeking compensation of more than 460,000 yuan. Yesterday, the Fengtai Court heard this case.
Mr. Sun's wife and daughter stated that on the evening of February 28, Mr. Sun went to the emergency department of Dongfang Hospital due to pulmonary infections and other diseases. On the afternoon of March 2, due to the worsening of his condition, Mr. Sun was transferred to the CCU ward, where family members were prohibited from entering to accompany him. Just over ten minutes later, they were informed that Mr. Sun had jumped from the building. He was determined to have died from traumatic shock, and criminal possibilities were ruled out.
The family of Mr. Sun believed that since the patient could not take care of himself while lying in bed, the hospital failed to provide the claimed "24-hour close monitoring." Additionally, the medical staff's poor attitude and verbal provocation caused Mr. Sun to jump from the building.
The representative lawyer of Dongfang Hospital stated that the hospital’s nursing service only involves monitoring vital signs such as pulse and blood pressure, not personal supervision. Furthermore, the claim by the patient's family that the medical staff made provocative statements is both unreasonable and lacks factual basis.
During the trial, Mr. Sun's two daughters cried and said, “A 71-year-old elderly man lying in bed unable to take care of himself— if the medical staff had been slightly more responsible, would they not have stopped the series of actions: getting out of bed, climbing onto the table, and jumping out of the window?”
Both parties did not reach a mediation agreement in court, and the presiding judge did not make an immediate ruling.
■ Key Points
1. What happened 10 minutes before the jump?
The representative of Dongfang Hospital stated that about 10 minutes before Mr. Sun jumped, the medical staff first measured his blood pressure and other data, then proceeded with blood pressure treatment. At the time, there were seven patients in the ward, three doctors were handing over their shifts, and the nurse and caregiver temporarily went to attend to other patients.
The representative also mentioned, “The ward contains critically ill patients, so there are no surveillance devices installed due to privacy concerns. There is no video record of the specific process.”
2. Should there be protective measures on the windows?
The plaintiff's lawyer argued that since the CCU ward is located on the 11th floor and the hospital admitted that it was basically impossible to achieve the so-called 24-hour monitoring, it was necessary to install railings or take appropriate modifications to the windows for safety purposes.
In response, the hospital's lawyer stated that installing railings outside the windows is not allowed by fire departments, as it would hinder rescue operations in case of a fire. However, regarding whether the windows needed modification, the hospital side did not respond.
(Edited: SN009)