An emergency department sign. (iStock)
The Web in China is abuzz with praise for a doctor who recently collapsed after rushing to the hospital to operate on a patient who had severed his fingers.
Central European News (CEN) reported that Dr. Chen Weiwei, who works at the Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University School of Medicine— in Ningbo, part of eastern China— immediately began operating on the factory worker after she was called in on her day off.
Over 16 hours, Chen worked to reattach the man’s thumb and index fingers to his hand. Thanks to Chen and her team’s quick attention, the patient, who wasn’t named, is expected to make a full recovery and be able to use his injured hand again in a few months.
After the surgery, Chen collapsed on the operating room floor and fell asleep. CEN reported that she hadn’t rested well for two days.
A colleague posted a photo of an exhausted Chen online, prompting outreach from people across China who have hailed her as a hero in a country where patients outnumber doctors.
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