AN elderly Hong Kong man died after a patient care assistant at a hospital allegedly shoved a “hard object ... the length of one’s palm” up his rectum.
The 75-year-old patient surnamed Wong was suffering from an end-stage renal failure and was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital in December 2017 due to a viral infection.
The family of the victim said he was in good spirits before the incident and that he was expected to be discharged on June 27, according to South China Morning Post.
Wong complained to the staff at the hospital’s medical rehabilitation ward that a “hard object”, believed to be a shower head, was repeatedly inserted into his anus during a shower on June 23, according to the hospital’s statement released to the public last Tuesday.
An initial examination revealed Wong’s rectum had been perforated. His condition subsequently deteriorated and he died on Sunday.
While the hospital did not specify what that object was, early reports have suggested it was a shower head.
“The caretaker told him that it was normal, and repeated [the procedure] another five to six times,“ the patient’s son said.
“The hospital understands that during the communication process between medical staff and the patient and his family, experiences that are not ideal and unpleasant had occurred,“ the hospital said in an apology to the family on Wednesday night.
“We apologise and expresses deep condolences to the patient’s relatives.”
