Recently, in Jishou City, Xiangxi Prefecture, Hunan Province, a child choked and suffocated while eating at home, prompting the parents to urgently call 120 for help. The parent accused the ambulance service of delaying by 21 minutes before dispatching, resulting in the child missing the critical window for rescue and tragically passing away. The parent questioned the hospital’s dereliction of duty, but so far the hospital has not provided a reasonable explanation.
According to a post made by the parent, Zhang Min, on April 16, his son choked and suffocated at home. He called 120 at 18:34, but Jishou City People’s Hospital only dispatched the ambulance at 18:55, a delay of 21 minutes. During this time, despite multiple urgencies from the parent, the operator falsely claimed that the ambulance had been dispatched and did not provide any first aid instructions, leading to the child missing the optimal time for rescue, resulting in his untimely death.
The parent also shared the child’s death certificate, showing that his son was born on February 3, 2025, and passed away on the evening of April 16, 2026, at 7:15 PM, just over a year old, due to suffocation.
On April 24, “New Yellow River” reported that Mr. Zhang said that their home was only 3 kilometers away from Jishou City People’s Hospital, with a normal driving time of just a few minutes. However, after calling 120 that day, they waited for over twenty minutes without the ambulance arriving. They had to resort to taking a motorcycle to bring the child to the hospital. By the time they arrived, it was already past 7 PM, half an hour since their initial call to 120, and despite efforts to save the child, he was pronounced dead.
Mr. Zhang expressed his disbelief over the fact that not only was the ambulance delayed, but the operator deceived him by claiming that the ambulance had already been dispatched, leading them to wait fruitlessly. He stated, “I urged a few times, and he kept saying the ambulance was on its way, already on the road.”
Up to now, the hospital has yet to provide a reasonable explanation for the delayed dispatch, and the lukewarm attitude from the Xiangxi Prefecture Health Commission has also left Mr. Zhang dissatisfied. Currently, he has engaged a lawyer to seek justice through legal means.
In response to the incident, the office staff of Jishou City People’s Hospital stated that the hospital is currently handling the matter. The hotline staff of the Medical Administration Department of Xiangxi Prefecture Health Commission mentioned that the staff responsible for handling complaints are out for a meeting and are temporarily unavailable to provide a response.