Investigation ongoing
Fang Yong, former president of the hospital, had previously attributed the incident to the doctors, who, according to him, made the wrong decision by leaving Zhu behind.
However, the public suspected that the hospital lacked an adequate fire suppression system, forcing the nurse to douse the fire with an ozone container instead of a fire extinguisher. The hospital was criticized for having insufficient equipment to protect the building and its patients.
The investigation panel, composed of authorities responsible for public security, fire protection and public health, disclosed that the fire was caused by a weakness in the hospital's fire protection system and an absence of emergency protocols in special areas, including operating rooms.
It was determined that the doctors left the operating room not selfishly but to find firefighters to rescue the patient, after noting that the respirator was functioning normally. The firefighters arrived in about five minutes and took another 25 minutes to extinguish the fire.
The investigation found that the doctors couldn't simply pull Zhu out of the room, because he was connected to a respiration machine. He would also have died if he'd been removed from the machine.
While the incident aroused heated discussion and wide criticism of the medical workers, the victim's cousin, who declined to be identified, told China Newsweek, "We can't expect every doctor to be a hero. How can they treat patients when they cannot guarantee their own safety?"
The hospital is now discussing compensation with the man's family.
The Shanghai Public Health Bureau has also ordered hospitals to hold citywide fire drills and inspections of areas in hospitals, including operating rooms, intensive care units and emergency rooms.
