Shenzhen orders emergency services audit after hospital penalty over patient death

Health authorities in Shenzhen have launched a citywide inspection of emergency medical services after a private hospital was found to have violated ambulance dispatch rules in a case that ended in a patient’s death.

An ambulance drives along a street in Shenzhen. File photo

The Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission said late yesterday that Shenzhen Jian’an Hospital failed to follow instructions from the city’s 120 emergency dispatch system, sending a patient to its own facility instead of a designated public hospital. The hospital has been fined 76,000 yuan (US$10,500) and ordered to suspend its pre-hospital emergency services for six months starting March 18, according to a statement issued by the commission.

The case has drawn widespread public attention and raised questions about oversight and compliance within the country’s emergency response system.

According to the official statement, a 54-year-old woman surnamed Zhang experienced severe abdominal pain shortly after midnight Aug. 5, 2025. Her family called the emergency hotline, and dispatch records showed she was to be transported to Longhua District People’s Hospital, a nearer public facility.

Instead, the ambulance took her to Jian’an Hospital, which operated the vehicle.

Despite repeated requests from family members for a transfer, the patient remained at the hospital for nearly eight hours before being moved to the designated facility. She died later that day at 5:42 p.m., about 17 hours after the initial emergency call. Authorities said the cause of death was bleeding from a ruptured splenic artery aneurysm.

The breach was discovered when the family noticed discrepancies between the actual transport and the official dispatch documents.

Shenzhen authorities said they were “deeply saddened” by the incident and extended condolences to the family. City and district health regulators have conducted an investigation, confirming that the hospital violated the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Emergency Medical Regulations.

The patient’s family has filed a civil lawsuit alleging delayed treatment and improper transfer. A court has commissioned an independent forensic assessment to determine medical liability, with further legal action pending the results.

Officials have launched a comprehensive audit of all pre-hospital emergency care providers in the city. Institutions found to have deficiencies may face corrective orders, suspension, or termination of emergency service qualifications.

The Shenzhen Emergency Medical Center is also reviewing and upgrading its dispatch system to strengthen end-to-end supervision of ambulance operations and ensure stricter compliance with routing decisions.