Charity program launched for World Coma Day

A charity program offering free evaluations for disadvantaged patients with disorders of consciousness was launched in Shanghai on Wednesday.

Marking World Coma Day, the initiative called for scientific evaluation and treatment for coma patients.

There are 70,000 to 100,000 new patients with disorders of consciousness in China every year, with 30 billion yuan (US$4.35 billion) to 50 billion yuan of medical expenses annually, imposing a severe burden to families and society.

"Waking these patients is not easy. Scientific evaluation is the first step for a proper treatment plan and important for the outcome," said Dr Song Donglei, president of the Shanghai Donglei Brain Hospital, a member of the charity program under the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Education Development Foundation.

He said precise evaluation involves various majors and subjects. An improper evaluation can cause mistakes in medical judgement and result in patients missing the best treatment opportunity.

Families of patients can apply for the aid through the website https://dongleifund.com/