A medical worker has been suspended after footage emerged of him punching a patient during surgery emerged online.

The incident occurred in December 2019 but has recently gone viral on social media in December 2023.

The video shows an incident involving a surgeon at the Ai Er Eye Hospital in southern China’s Guangxi striking a patient on the head during a procedure.

Upon investigation, the incident involved an 82-year-old patient who communicated primarily in the Zhuang language, posing a language barrier for effective communication in Mandarin during the surgery.

Throughout the surgery, the patient displayed signs of intolerance to the local anaesthesia, frequently moving her head and eyes, elevating the risk of an unexpected event during the operation.

As the patient's understanding of Mandarin was limited and repeated verbal warnings were ineffective. And the surgery didn’t go well and not long after the surgery, the patient’s left eye went blind.

In a statement released by the hospital, the surgeon "treated the patient roughly in an emergency situation".

The hospital received a complaint from the patient the following day, citing the surgeon's rough conduct during the procedure. In response, the hospital promptly initiated an investigation, offering a detailed explanation and apology to the patient and their family, which was ultimately accepted.

The video filmed years ago was exposed online recently and triggered outrage. On December 21 2023, Ai Er Eye Hospital Group issued a statement, acknowledging that the surgeon's forceful treatment of the patient grossly violated the professional conduct standards for medical practitioners.

The group took decisive action by suspending the CEO of Ai Er Guigang in Guangxi and temporarily suspending the director's (the surgeon involved in the accident) duties, with both individuals subject to further investigation.

The group has pledged to push for comprehensive reforms at Ai Er Guigang and will undertake further serious measures based on the results of the ongoing investigation.

The video was provided with permission from local media.

近日，广西贵港，爱尔眼科医生“手术台拳打患者头部”事件引发舆论关注。
经查明，此事发生于2019年12月12日，患者时年82岁，只会壮族语言，普通话难以交流。手术过程中，由于局部麻醉，患者有手术不耐受。手术进行中，频繁转动头部和眼球，极可能发生手术意外。患者听不懂普通话，多次提醒无效，医生为避免发生危险，情急之中粗暴对待患者。医院次日曾收到患者反映术中手术医生动作粗鲁，并要求做出相关解释。医院随即进行调查并向患者和家属详细解释并道歉，得到了患者家属谅解。
12月21日夜间，爱尔眼科医院集团发布最新声明，表示涉事医生粗暴对待患者的行为，已严重违反医疗机构从业人员行为规范。集团已于21日下午免去贵港爱尔CEO职务，暂停院长（即手术医生）职务，两人均接受进一步调查。下一步，集团将敦促贵港爱尔深入整改，并将根据后续调查结果做进一步严肃处理。