Photo of the Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Photo: VCG

A hospital in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, apologized and said in a statement on Friday that staff members had been suspended after a patient was mistakenly left on MRI scanner table for nearly six hours after undergoing a scan, an incident the hospital said was caused by violations of work discipline and shift handover procedures.

The statement said that an internal investigation found that in the early hours of February 26, on-duty staff in the hospital's radiology department violated work discipline and shift handover procedures, resulting in the patient being left on the examination table for nearly six hours after the scan had been completed, according to a release from the official website of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

The hospital immediately offered a sincere apology to the patient and accompanied the patient to undergo a comprehensive health examination. The hospital is also maintaining active communication with the patient's family regarding follow-up compensation, according to the statement. 

The hospital acknowledged that the incident exposed loopholes in its medical management. A special task force has been established to implement rectification measures. The staff members involved have been suspended, and a hospital-wide review of potential medical safety risks has been launched to prevent similar incidents and ensure safer, higher-quality medical services for the public, read the statement.


Global Times