‘Ruined his life’: 15-year fight for justice after son’s Hong Kong hospital ordeal
Couple’s battle for accountability over alleged blunder which left their son disabled goes on as inquiry into doctor is halted
Sixteen years ago, mainland Chinese parents Li Zhijian and Peng Hongying travelled to Hong Kong to give birth to their third child, full of hope for his future.
But little did they know their decision would turn into a nightmare for the family and ruin their son’s life – something Li said he still regretted to this day.
“Originally, we planned that after giving birth to Yuanjian, we could live in Shenzhen and take him to Hong Kong for school every day like other children for the city’s better education,” Li said in an interview with the Post.
“Everything seemed perfect and we were so happy when he was born, but it was all so short-lived.”
The couple recalled the incident that left their son with cerebral palsy and quadriplegia, unable to care for himself for life, and spoke of the hardships the family had endured over the years.
Their account came after the Hong Kong government weighed in on the case, in which the couple condemned the Medical Council for terminating an inquiry into a paediatrician accused of a blunder that led to the boy’s disabilities.
Their son, Li Yuanjian, was born at Baptist Hospital in Kowloon Tong on December 19, 2009.