Outrage as China hospital slaps 70-US-cent fee on patient for use of chair during treatment
- Health authority says fee imposed for sitting down while receiving an intravenous infusion is in line with regulations
A hospital in China has stoked controversy by charging a patient for the use of a chair they were sitting on while receiving an intravenous infusion.
On mainland social media at the end of June, a person released a billing statement by the public-funded Ningxia Children’s Hospital, which showed that five yuan (70 US cents) had been charged for a seat, Zonglan Video reported.
It is not clear how old the patient was, or what they were being treated for, but the bill showed the medication contained antibiotics.
An official at the hospital in Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui autonomous region, northwestern China, said the fee was for two days’ use of a chair by the patient who was sitting on it while receiving an infusion.
“Charging this fee is in line with the regulations of the pricing authority. We would definitely not collect fees randomly,” the official said.
