[Early Edition] The Death of a Young Girl from an IV Drip Exposes Chronic Issues in Grassroots Healthcare (AI Translation)
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- In Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang province, a 2.5-year-old girl named Hanhan (pseudonym) died after receiving 11 days of intravenous infusion treatment for a respiratory infection during a peak period of such infections in Northern China. Her mother, Ding Hong (pseudonym), sought treatment at the best local hospital, Lin Kou County People's Hospital, where the child was diagnosed with a common bacterial infection and treated with antibiotics and antiviral medication.
- The girl's condition worsened despite continued treatment, leading to her transfer to a higher-level hospital in Mudanjiang city. However, she lost vital signs on the way there and could not be resuscitated. An autopsy later attributed her death to pneumonia complications and heart-lung failure; however, it could not conclude whether an overdose of medication caused her death. The hospital was deemed primarily responsible for misjudging her condition and not adjusting treatment promptly or advising timely transfer to another facility.
- The case highlights issues with medical practices at grassroots levels in China, including over-reliance on IV infusions and injections for respiratory infections, use of medications like Yanhuning (a traditional Chinese medicine injection) that are not recommended by clinical guidelines but are widely used locally due to habits or lack of alternatives. This has raised concerns about irrational drug use affecting patient safety and straining medical insurance funds.
文｜财新周刊 周信达，王梓佩（实习）
By Caixin Weekly's Zhou Xinda, Wang Zipei (Intern)
2023年12月1日，黑龙江牡丹江市林口县，气温降至零下20℃以下，厚重的大雪在路边堆积一米多高。冬天白昼格外短，清晨天光还很暗，丁红（化名）便前往县殡仪馆。
On December 1, 2023, in Linkou County, Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province, the temperature dropped below minus 20 degrees Celsius, with heavy snow piling up over a meter high on the roadside. With exceptionally short daylight hours in winter, Ding Hong (pseudonym) headed to the county funeral home while it was still dark early in the morning.
她两岁半的独生女儿含含（化名）已离开这个世界20多天了，因为还需要尸检和医学鉴定，全家人直到这天方能送别孩子最后一程。丁红常在社交媒体上发布含含的跳舞视频，她性格活泼好动，扎两个马尾或好几个朝天辫，圆圆的脸颊上笑容灿烂，眼睛很明亮。丁红时常拿出自己和孩子的照片陷入回忆，但她们再也没有机会相见。
Ding Hong's two-and-a-half-year-old only daughter, Hanhan (pseudonym), has been gone from this world for over 20 days. The family could only bid their final farewell to the child on this day, as they awaited the completion of an autopsy and medical examination. Ding Hong often shared videos of Hanhan dancing on social media; she was a lively and active girl with pigtails or several upward braids, her round cheeks adorned with a bright smile and her eyes sparkling. Ding Hong frequently gets lost in memories while looking at photos of herself with her daughter, but they will never have the chance to meet again.
在这一年中最寒冷的季节，中国北方正进入一波接一波的呼吸道感染疾病高峰，儿童是入院就医的主要人群。
During the coldest season of the year, Northern China is experiencing successive peaks of respiratory infections, with children constituting the primary group being admitted for medical treatment.
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