Changzhou Hospital Penalized 15,000 Yuan Only for Medical Negligence; Families of Victims Disappointed

On March 12, 2025, the Health Commission of Changzhou City finally issued a warning and fined a hospital involved in the case of Pan Chen, a 5-month-old baby from Jiangsu who died on the fourth day after receiving a vaccine in 2021. The family of the victim stated that the Changzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital had seriously delayed treatment, leading to a major medical negligence that resulted in the death of the infant. They are now calling on the National Health Commission to legally hold accountable those responsible for the incident.

Pan Chen’s mother, Hu Dayan, expressed her disbelief at the handling of the situation. She told a reporter, “With such clear medical malpractice leading to death, their open protection and cover-up means there is no justice for ordinary people.” She mentioned that she will once again go to Beijing to seek justice for her child.

In June 2021, Hu Dayan took her 5-month-old son, Pan Chen, to the Changzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital’s emergency department after he experienced discomfort following a vaccination for pertussis. Despite a clear diagnosis by the emergency doctor of “increased lung markings and slightly enlarged heart shadow,” no necessary treatment measures were taken, and no recommendation for observation or transfer to another hospital was given. The next day, the child’s condition worsened, leading to visits to the Changzhou Children’s Hospital and then treatment at the Fudan University Children’s Hospital in Shanghai. Unfortunately, Pan Chen passed away on June 19, 2021, at the Fudan University Children’s Hospital despite efforts to save him.

On July 1, 2021, Hu Dayan reported her son’s situation to the Xinqiao Health Center, where the vaccine was administered. On July 26, the Changzhou Center for Disease Control provided a coincidental diagnosis report. Unsatisfied with the findings, Hu Dayan continued to raise concerns with the Health Commission of Changzhou.

On September 23, 2021, the Changzhou Medical Association issued a certificate stating that “vaccination cannot be ruled out” as the cause of Pan Chen’s death due to an abnormal reaction to the vaccine. However, no leadership took responsibility for resolving the matter.

The Health Commission of Changzhou City informed Hu Dayan on March 12, 2025, of the punishment decision regarding the incident: a “warning and a fine of 15,000 yuan.”

Hu Dayan recalled the events of June 16, 2021, when they took their child to the emergency department of the Changzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital, and despite the doctor identifying serious heart rhythm abnormalities in the child, it was not documented in the medical records. She emphasized that due to the lack of clear mention of life-threatening symptoms like heart rhythm abnormalities in the hospital’s records, it delayed a proper diagnosis and treatment until they urgently brought him to the Changzhou Children’s Hospital later that night.

She highlighted that her child ultimately died from “heart rhythm abnormalities and fulminant myocarditis.” Hu Dayan believes that such a blatant medical negligence resulting in death should be treated with more than just a warning and a fine. She reiterated that the vaccine was just the triggering factor, and the real cause of her child’s death lies in the errors made by the Maternal and Child Health Hospital.

Hu Dayan perceives the handling of the case as a serious violation of laws and regulations, disrespecting human dignity and life. She demands that the Director of the National Health Commission, Lei Haichao, the Director of the National Petition Bureau, Li Wenzhang, and the Director of the National Medical Security Administration, Zhang Ke, personally oversee the case. She urges them to address the medical negligence of the Changzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital and hold accountable the relevant individuals, including the Director of the Changzhou Health Commission, He Xiaoqian, and the Director of the Changzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Liu Zhiwei, in order to resolve the conflict.