Illegal Acupuncture In Cybercafe Leaves Chinese Man In ICU With Punctured Lungs

A Chinese man, Gao, narrowly escaped death after undergoing acupuncture from an unqualified “doctor” for a benign tumour. Gao’s wife, Zhang, found the “doctor” through a friend, who claimed the treatment could cure Gao’s fibroma. The procedure was performed at a cybercafe lounge, where Gao’s condition rapidly deteriorated after needle insertion, causing breathing difficulties and incontinence, the South China Morning Post reported. 

He was urgently hospitalised and diagnosed with respiratory failure and a pneumothorax, indicating punctured lungs. Though he was admitted to the ICU in critical condition, he was fortunately saved. Doctors informed his friend that a minute’s delay to the ICU could have been fatal.

The unqualified doctor initially promised to take responsibility, but later vanished and blocked Zhang online. Zhang turned to Henan TV for help and visited the doctor’s home.

The “doctor” turned out to be a self-taught individual without a medical license, known as a “barefoot doctor.” His father revealed that he had learned massage and acupuncture by observing others. The friend who introduced him to the couple had received treatments from him for issues like neck pain and vouched for his effectiveness, despite knowing he wasn’t registered to practice.

Notably, Chinese law requires medical procedures to be performed by licensed doctors at registered institutions. 

A local health commission official stated that they had forwarded official documents to the police and procuratorate to apprehend the individual. Local lawyer Li Bo noted that the “doctor” would face charges for illegal medical practice. Unlicensed medical procedures causing significant harm to a patient’s health can lead to three to ten years in prison.

Social media expressed shock at the ignorance of the couple and their friend. One user wrote, “He was really lucky to have survived. They only had themselves to blame for trusting barefoot doctors without a licence.”

Another commented, “I am shocked by their ignorance and nonchalance about receiving medical treatment at a cybercafe.”