XI’AN: A dozen doctors in northwest China’s Shaanxi province were penalised after taking group selfies next to a patient undergoing surgery in August.
The selfies show the doctors smiling and posing in front of an unconscious patient lying on an operating table, Xinhua news agency reported.
Three of the doctors have had their administrative posts removed and the others given administrative warnings, the Health Bureau in Shannxi’s capital Xi’an said Monday.
The photos were widely circulated on China’s popular social networking app WeChat and sparked public anger over the doctors’ actions.
An investigation conducted by the bureau showed the photos were taken on Aug 15 this year in an old surgery room at Fengcheng Hospital in Xi’an.
“Judging from the photos, the surgery has been completed. The surgeon’s two assistants were giving a finishing touch to the skin,” said a user named Baiyishanmao on microblog Sina Weibo.
The user’s account certifies him as a surgeon from eastern Zhejiang province.
“A doctor can be much happier than a patient’s family after he or she successfully conducts a difficult surgery,” said the user. –BERNAMA