Before the incident, Binbin was a天真可爱 child.
At the First People's Hospital of Zigong City, in the ICU, Binbin lay there weakly.
The two "patient expense lists" issued by the First People's Hospital of Zigong City were confusing. At the critical moment when the donated money for saving lives was needed, there were issues of "wrong medication use" and "incorrect charges."
Binbin (a pseudonym), a 7-year-old elementary school student from Fushun County, unfortunately got bitten on his nose and face by a stray dog, putting his life in grave danger; to save their son, the Tian family mortgaged their house and became heavily indebted; at this difficult time, all sectors of society donated more than 120,000 yuan, and a loving relay to save a life unfolded in Zigong.
However, at the critical moment when the donated money for saving lives was needed, there were issues of "wrong medication use" and "incorrect charges." Recently, the two "patient expense lists" issued by the First People's Hospital of Zigong City were confusing.
On the way home from school, a 7-year-old boy was bitten by a stray dog.
The 7-year-old Binbin was seen as a smart and lively child by neighbors. Around 5 PM on April 8th, while on his way home from school, Binbin encountered a large yellow dog and suffered serious facial injuries: his lips were torn, and his nose was almost completely bitten off by the vicious dog. Subsequently, Binbin exhibited symptoms such as vomiting and fever.
As both parents worked outside, his grandmother immediately rushed him to the hospital for emergency treatment.
After more than two hours of surgery, all of Binbin’s wounds were stitched up, and he received rabies vaccines and immunoglobulin within the stipulated time frame. After staying in the county hospital for over 20 days, Binbin basically recovered and returned to school.
Unexpectedly, on May 4th, Binbin suddenly exhibited symptoms of vomiting and fever again. At 10 AM on May 7th, with persistent high fever and unconsciousness, Binbin was transferred by his parents to the First People's Hospital of Zigong City, and at 10 PM that night, he was admitted into the ICU ward.
After admission, the hospital was unable to determine the cause of Binbin's illness, suspecting it might be encephalitis or Guillain-Barré syndrome.
From May 7th upon admission to July 19th when he was transferred to the Chongqing Children's Hospital, Binbin spent a total of 73 days in the ICU ward, costing over 200,000 yuan in medical expenses.
To treat his son, Binbin's father, Tian Qingxiang, not only exhausted all the family savings but also mortgaged their house and borrowed over 200,000 yuan from relatives and friends. “So far, we have spent over 400,000 yuan on my son's medical expenses, leaving us heavily in debt,” said Tian Qingxiang. “We've borrowed all the money we could from our relatives and friends. Now, no one is willing to lend us any more money.”
With an average daily treatment cost of 3,000 yuan, the Tian family quickly ran out of all the money they could borrow. Under the appeal of provincial and municipal media, relevant units like the Youth League Committee of Fushun County and members of society extended helping hands, donating over 120,000 yuan in life-saving funds to Binbin.
After expert diagnosis, Binbin was confirmed to have “acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.” After being transferred to the Chongqing Children's Hospital, Binbin began showing signs of improvement under better treatment, with weak autonomous breathing and occasional consciousness.
Mysterious old man's test report appears in the hospital bill.
On June 18th, Tian Qingxiang received the hospital's printed "patient expense list."
This list, covering 41 days from May 7th to June 17th, contained hundreds of charge items totaling over 132,000 yuan, some of which were unclear to Tian Qingxiang: “What disease does the injection of Omeprazole at 141 yuan per vial treat? Why have I never seen it before?” “My son has been in the ICU ward the whole time. Since the hospital already charged for special care, why are there five charges (each 775 yuan, totaling 3,875 yuan) for ‘general specialized nursing fees’?” Moreover, what are the "other fees" for 19 intra-hospital consultations (each 13 yuan, totaling 247 yuan), seven health consultation fees (each 6 yuan, totaling 42 yuan), and suctioning fees? Clearly, the settlement is for 41 days of hospitalization, so why does it show 81 days (totaling 324 yuan) of "indwelling catheter fee"?
To understand what disease the "injection of Omeprazole" treats, after consulting relevant doctors via phone, Tian Qingxiang learned: this drug is not for treating Binbin's condition but rather for treating gastrointestinal inflammation, which has no relation to his son's illness.
Having become knowledgeable about medicine due to prolonged sickness, Tian Qingxiang already had a clear understanding of the daily treatment costs required for his son at the First People's Hospital of Zigong.
On June 26th, in the hospital's printed expense list, Tian Qingxiang suddenly noticed that the day's treatment cost was over 400 yuan more than usual; upon closer inspection, he found that apart from an additional "injection of Somatostatin" at 309 yuan per bottle, the "Omeprazole" at 141 yuan per vial appeared again.
Tian immediately asked a female doctor surnamed Zhou: What diseases do these unfamiliar drugs treat? After checking the Omeprazole, Dr. Zhou immediately apologized to Tian: "I'm sorry, this isn't your child's medicine." Subsequently, after verification by the hospital's finance department, 141 yuan was refunded to Tian Qingxiang. However, regarding the "injection of Somatostatin," the hospital did not provide a response.
What puzzled Tian Qingxiang even more was that in the medical records copied to him by the hospital before transferring Binbin, there was actually a "test report" of a 68-year-old man named Chen Chaogen, stamped with the hospital's official seal!
"Every single penny used to save Binbin's life comes from donations from all sectors of society!" Last week, holding solid evidence, Tian Qingxiang went to the Ziliujing District Health Bureau of Zigong City to file a complaint, demanding an explicit explanation from the hospital.
District Health Bureau: Can only mediate, lacks enforcement power
Yesterday morning, Huaxi Metropolis Daily reporter accompanied Tian Qingxiang to the Medical Administration Department of the Ziliujing District Health Bureau.
"You mentioned issues, we have already notified the hospital and requested them to provide a written explanation," said a female official who preferred to remain anonymous during her conversation with Tian Qingxiang: "It might be a problem with the hospital's computer system. When my father was hospitalized in a certain hospital, there was once an issue where an extra 9 yuan of unknown fees appeared daily."
Regarding the unclear accounts in the expense list, both female officials from the Medical Administration Department indicated: The First People's Hospital of Zigong City is a large hospital registered at the municipal level. According to the principle of territorial management, the Ziliujing District Health Bureau can only mediate disputes between patients and hospitals and does not have administrative management authority. "The best way to get an authoritative explanation and handling of this matter is through legal litigation."
Hospital Party Office: Investigating, will respond on the 20th
Why does the medical record provided by the hospital for Binbin include the medical record of a 68-year-old man named Chen Chaogen? Why does the expense list for 41 days of hospitalization show 81 days of catheterization fees? Why was the injectable anti-inflammatory drug "Omeprazole" for treating gastrointestinal issues mistakenly recorded under Binbin's account? What disease does the "injectable Somatostatin" priced at 309 yuan per bottle treat? What is the basis for charging ICU patients for special care, general specialized nursing, health consultation, indwelling catheterization, and suctioning fees after already charging for special care? What exactly are these "other fees"?
Yesterday, in response to a series of questions raised by the journalist, a female doctor surnamed Xie from the Medical Affairs Department of the First People's Hospital of Zigong City recorded them and stated: "The district health bureau is currently investigating this matter. Since it involves drug pricing issues, I alone cannot answer them; in the afternoon, the hospital's finance department will provide a written response to the district health bureau, the media, and Mr. Tian Qingxiang."
At 4:40 PM yesterday, the response from the Party Office of the First People's Hospital of Zigong City was: "The hospital is currently investigating, and the related response will be made tomorrow (the 20th)."
By Yang Yuanlu, Huaxi Metropolis Daily