A 43-year-old emergency doctor died in a hospital in China's Qinghai province after treating 40 patients in a long shift that ran overtime. Guo Qingyuan underwent treatment in intensive care for four hours but later as he was going through procedures to be hospitalized, he suffered sudden convulsions and died.
China News Service reported that Guo Qingyuan, who is a father of two children, showed symptoms of chest distress, palpitations and breathing difficulty after finishing his extended shift that ended at 11.40pm at Qinghai University Affiliated Hospital. However, Guo's shift was originally scheduled to end at 8.30pm.
According to the report, the deceased had stayed those extra three hours to ensure that his work was properly handed over to his colleagues.
This latest case of doctor's death has triggered an outpouring of sympathy on social media. A number of people have expressed their condolences to Guo's family. People were also seen extending their support to the other doctors who work long hours.
In recent years, there have many cases of doctors collapsing while at work. On Dec 29 last year, a 43-year-old respiratory specialist in Shanxi province died of a stroke after working non-stop for 18 hours.
