A court in east China has upheld the five-year and six-year jail
terms for two unqualified surgeons whose malpractice resulted in
the surgical removal of the eyes of nine patients.
Judges at Suzhou Intermediate People's Court, in Anhui Province, issued a final ruling that the
two brothers were rightly convicted of illegally practicing
medicine and should serve their complete jail terms.
The higher court upheld a guilty verdict handed down to Sui
Guirong and Sui Guoliang, both from Shanghai, at a preliminary
trial at Yongqiao District Court, in Suzhou City, in November last
year.
In the initial trial it was revealed that the brothers took
medical equipment to Suzhou City Hospital where they repeatedly
performed ultrasonic emulsification surgery on cataract patients in
collusion with Xu Qing, an ophthalmologist at the No. 9 People's
Hospital affiliated with the Medical School of Jiaotong University,
in Shanghai.
The problems began on Dec. 11, 2005, when they operated on 10
patients at Suzhou City Hospital. Xu acted as chief surgeon, while
Sui Guorong was responsible for applying the treatment materials to
the patients, and Sui Guoliang operated the ultrasonic
emulsification apparatus.
Nine of the patients who had the surgery that day were infected
with the bacillus pyocyaneus, which eventually led to the complete
loss of their eyes, the lower court heard.
The cause of the infection is still unknown.
The judges at Yongqiao District Court said that despite holding
no licenses to practice medicine, the brothers organized others to
carry out ultrasonic emulsification surgery for cataract patients
in cooperation with hospitals, including the Suzhou City Hospital,
and participated in the surgeries.
The Sui brothers were found guilty of illegally practicing
medicine, which damaged the health of the patients. Sui Guorong was
sentenced to six years in jail and fined 300,000 yuan (US$38,217).
Sui Guoliang was sentenced to five years in jail and fined 200,000
yuan (US$25,478).
The brothers appealed their cases shortly after the trial.
Suzhou Intermediate People's Court rejected their appeal, saying
the Yongqiao District Court made an appropriate punishment against
them and the ruling from first trial should be upheld.
Ophthalmologist Xu Qing had his license revoked pending a
separate trial.
China's Health Ministry prohibits public hospitals from
participating in commercial cooperation such as renting out their
medical departments. Additionally, doctors are banned from
practicing medicine in a new location without re-registering.
(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2007)