Unapproved surgery on teen girl earns suspension for doctor

A private hospital in a northwest China city has been closed temporarily and a doctor suspended after performing surgery on a teenager without getting consent from her parents.

The doctor surnamed Cao at Ankang Xing'an Hospital in Ankang City, Shaanxi Province, attended a 17-year-old patient, surnamed Lu, who visited the hospital with her friends on October 4, the local district government said today.

Cao said that there was an abnormal growth on the girl's cervix and performed an immediate surgery to remove it, the announcement said. The operation was done without notifying Lu's parents or getting their consent, it added.

Cao will be suspended from practicing, the hospital was shut down temporarily and its director was ordered to resign.

The district government said the patient and the hospital had reached an agreement over the dispute.