Chinese ER Doctor Dies of Exhaustion After Treating 40 Patients

January 30, 2018

A physician died after attending to 40 patients during a long night shift at the

Guo Qingyuan, 43, suffered from chest pain and struggled to breathe at the Qinghai University Affiliated Hospital on Jan. 23.

He reportedly treated 40 patients during his shift and logged another three hours to hand over his work to colleagues.

After a seizure, Guo — who also had palpitations — collapsed and received emergency treatment for four hours. Unfortunately, he died shortly after, according to China News.

The hard working physician leaves a 10-year-old daughter, a five-month-old son and a wife who is also a doctor at the same hospital.

His death quickly made rounds online and drew mixed reactions from netizens, with many expressing condolences to his family. Others praised the work of medical professionals.

The South China Morning Post quoted some as saying:

“This is an unbearable loss for his family … his wife and two children.”

“Emergency doctors have a tough job and they have to work around the clock.”

“Many people don’t understand the work of doctors. But I know, after giving birth, that they don’t even get a set time to eat or rest because they don’t know when the next patients will arrive. I salute all medical workers.”

Guo’s death follows that of another physician in Shanxi Province, northern China, on Dec. 30. Zhao Bianxiang, a respiratory specialist, collapsed after clocking 18 hours and died after 20 hours of resuscitation, Sohu noted.

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