90-Year-Old Grandfather Goes Viral for Putting Younger Patients First in COVID-19 Outbreak

“It’s a waste of government money to treat an old man like me.”

A 90-year-old COVID-19 patient in China has recently gone viral online for sacrificing his own well-being for the younger patients in the hospital.

The man named Sun Xuejie was well-aware of how shorthanded the staff of the hospital were and worried about the young ones in the midst of the difficult times.

A video was taken of the man with a medical professional at a university hospital located in Wuhan, China.

The medical professional tried to convince the man to receive testing, but the man refused and called it a waste of resources.

It’s a waste of government money to treat an old man like me.

– Sun Xuejie

Although the other nurses and medical professionals got involved to try to convince the man, he continued to resist.

Luckily, after much struggle, the man agreed to receive the examination and returned home to his wife.

With many countries struggling to fight the coronavirus outbreak, this video elicited sympathy and sadness among many netizens.

In the case of Italy where the number of cases and deaths has been rising above that can be handled with medical resources, they are currently in a situation where medical professionals must prioritize which patients should be treated.

In countries with a larger elderly population, there is much worry that the situation may get worse as more people are pushed down the list for treatment.

Source: Insight