Four officials and the director of a senior home in Putuo District have been held accountable for an incident in which an elderly citizen, who was considered “dead,” was transferred to a funeral parlor.
The Shanghai Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision announced yesterday afternoon that proceedings have been launched against Zhang Jiandong, Party secretary and director of the Putuo District Civil Affairs Bureau, by the Party discipline committee.
Huang Yaohong, deputy director of the bureau; Liu Yinghua, director of the bureau’s senior care service department; and Wu Youcheng, director of the Changzheng Town social undertakings development office, were dismissed from their posts, with disciplinary proceedings launched against them as well.
Ge Fang, director of the Xinchangzheng Senior Home, has been sacked, along with separate proceedings set in motion.
The five are also under further investigation.
In addition, the health commission of the district has revoked the license of a doctor surnamed Tian who was allegedly involved in the case.
Tian is under investigation by Putuo police.
According to a vlog shot on Sunday afternoon, the senior had already been placed inside a body bag, but an employee of the funeral parlor discovered the “deceased” was moving and still alive while moving the bag.
Staffers opened the bag and raised the cloth covering the face of the elderly person for confirmation and found the senior, whose gender was not revealed, was still breathing.
The person has been transferred to a hospital and is in stable condition.