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Investigators in China's Shaanxi Province have determined that a hospital had been negligent in a case that led to a pregnant woman jumping to death.
Ma Rongrong, 26, had gone to a hospital in Yulin on Aug 31 with unbearable labour pains. For hours, she had begged for a C-section to ease her agony. After multiple requests were refused, she jumped five floors from a hospital window to her death.
Ma's family and her doctors have traded blame for denying her the surgery that could have eased her suffering.
The hospital said it recommended that Ma undergo a caesarean because a the baby's head was big, meaning vaginal delivery would be risky. It claimed, however, that her husband and family insisted on natural birth in the belief it was better for the child.
As evidence, the hospital posted Ma's surgery log on its official social media account, showing that the family had denied her requests.
Ma had signed an authorisation granting her husband the right to make medical decisions on her behalf, it said, adding the hospital therefore "had no right to change the delivery method without (his) consent".
But Ma's husband, Yan Zhuangzhuang said that he had agreed to his wife's surgery, and it was the doctor who said it was unnecessary.
On Sep 7, an investigation panel comprising officials with the health and public security departments in Yulin city decided this was a case of suicide and not homicide.
It also ruled that the hospital had been negligent in its care of the patient, and was not prepared for an emergency.
Under Chinese law, the decision should have been made by the person herself, according to Feng Lihua, an expert on medical disputes at Beijing's Zhongdun Law Firm.
"It cannot be authorised by other people," he said.
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The tragedy has attracted intense attention in China, with many wondering how Ma could be denied such a common procedure.
By the end of the week the hashtag "Yulin pregnant woman jumps to death" was the third highest trending topic on Weibo, especially after leaked security footage showing Ma on her knees in front of her family in a hospital corridor went viral.
The incident has sparked a national discussion on everything from the high cost of health care and patients' rights to the dangers of traditional Chinese family values.
Some commenters argued the family was not able or willing to pay for the surgery - a common problem in a country where anything other than the most basic medical care can be out of reach for the average person.
"The hospital wants to limit C-sections and the families don't want to spend money," said one commenter, airing a view that was widely expressed on social media.
"This type of system and this type of family produced this type of tragedy."
Others have wondered whether government policy was at least partly to blame for Ma's death.
孕妇跳楼,究竟谁之过?
8月31日，在陕西榆林市第一医院，待产孕妇马某跳楼自杀身亡，一尸两命。之后，医院发表声明称，院方之前向产妇、家属建议实施剖宫产，然而家属坚持顺产，并在《产妇住院知情同意书》上签字，表示希望顺产。
医院声明发布后，很多人将矛头指向了家属，称“家属害死了产妇”。
应该说，事件本身比较复杂，并不是因为手术延误直接导致产妇死亡，是产妇在产房里跳楼自杀，这使得法律因果关系相当复杂。
坠亡产妇马某的丈夫延先生称，对于医院发布的声明，他表示不认可，“我妻子期间疼痛难忍有两次，出来跟我说‘疼得不行’。第一次是17点左右，第二次是18点左右。她出来喊疼的这两次，我都主动跟医生说，她疼的话咱们就剖腹产。其他临床的产妇都可以证明我说过这个话。但是医生回复说，检查后产妇一切正常，快要生了，不用剖腹产。”
9月10日晚，榆林市卫计局已决定对榆林一院绥德院区主要负责人和妇产科主任停职，责成医院即刻对存在的问题和薄弱环节进行整改。
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