The director of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the Sixth People’s Hospital of Zhoukou City, Henan Province, Shao, died after falling from the hospital building. This incident not only shocked the medical community but also triggered a wider range of public inquiries. A patient told Caixin that Dr. Shao had suffered from cyberbullying before her death, and videos with insulting language had been widely circulated in Zhoukou.
On August 5, the Health Commission of Zhoukou City issued a notice stating that at 20:38 on August 1, 2025, a fall incident occurred at the Sixth People’s Hospital of Zhoukou City. After verification, the person who fell was Dr. Shao, a doctor at the hospital, female, 57 years old. After the incident, the hospital immediately organized rescue, but the person who fell died at 1:40 a.m. on August 2 due to excessive injuries.
After the incident, many of Dr. Shao’s former patients spontaneously mourned on social media, expressing their sorrow over Dr. Shao’s death. Wu Yu (pseudonym) was delivered by Dr. Shao. She told Caixin that Dr. Shao was conscientious and responsible for her patients and was highly regarded and well-reputed locally. Public information shows that Dr. Shao graduated from Xinxiang Medical College with a clinical major, was an associate chief physician, and had been engaged in obstetrics and gynecology for more than 20 years. She was good at painless delivery, 1-minute painless abortion, and the treatment of various high-risk pregnancies, and had won honors such as “Henan Province Outstanding Obstetrics and Gynecology Physician” and “Zhoukou’s Most Beautiful Doctor.”
Wu Yu recalled: “When I gave birth, the baby’s head was too big, leading to dystocia. The midwives were helpless at the time, and it was Dr. Shao who came to deliver the baby.” In her impression, Dr. Shao was “a very kind aunt.” “She was very serious and responsible. During my hospitalization, she would meticulously care for the condition of the mothers during her rounds every day, caring about what the children ate, and even taught me how to breastfeed the children.””
Regarding the cause of Dr. Shao’s death by falling from the building, online rumors said that it was “because she had suffered from cyberbullying for a long time, sought help to no avail, and chose to die to prove her innocence.” On August 4, Mr. Zhang (pseudonym), Dr. Shao’s husband, confirmed in an interview with Jinyun News that Dr. Shao had indeed suffered from continuous cyberbullying. “The cyber violence from three accounts for more than seven months made her feel extremely helpless and unable to seek help.”
According to the interview with Jinyun News, Mr. Zhang introduced that the cyber violence was triggered by three medical disputes. In the first dispute, the pregnant woman suffered from amniotic fluid embolism. To save her life, a hysterectomy was required. After the family signed the consent form, the pregnant woman successfully gave birth to a baby girl. Later, the family regretted it, believing that because they gave birth to a girl and the pregnant woman’s uterus was removed, it led to the “extinction” of the family, and demanded that the hospital and the doctor compensate them 1 million yuan.
The second medical dispute involved a pregnant woman with her third child, whose fetus was large. Dr. Shao repeatedly advised her to have a cesarean section and informed her of the risks, but the couple insisted on a natural birth and signed a risk consent form. Eventually, the pregnant woman’s uterus ruptured, the fetus died, and the pregnant woman’s life was saved through surgery. Later, the family made trouble at the hospital and, after being rejected, turned to Douyin to post videos.
The third medical dispute occurred two years ago. Two days after the pregnant woman gave birth smoothly, the baby suddenly developed hypoxia, causing purplish skin. The hospital sent the baby to the neonatal ICU for rescue, and the baby was eventually cured and discharged. Two years later, the child was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and the family believed it was the doctor’s mistake.
It is understood that initially, the families of the first two patients each posted videos, and the attention was not high. Later, the families of these three disputes joined forces on the Douyin platform, followed each other and recommended works, and their influence increased greatly. After that, a large number of “keyboard warriors” began to criticize Dr. Shao.
Wu Yu told Caixin that the relevant videos released by several families, “My friends and I have all seen them on Douyin.” Currently, the relevant accounts have all been cleared. Wu Yu recalled that the descriptions of Dr. Shao in those videos included but were not limited to “excessive medical treatment” and “lack of medical ethics” and “removing the uterus for money.” “My first reaction was disbelief. Dr. Shao was so careful and responsible, how could she do such a thing?” she said.
According to Jinyun News, Mr. Zhang said that Dr. Shao had reported the case to the Taihao Road Police Station of Zhoukou City twice. The police did not file the case the first time, and although they filed the case the second time, the police did not clearly state how to solve it, nor did they contact the video publisher to remove the video immediately.
On August 1, Dr. Shao posted a farewell video on Douyin, had a video call with her grandson and granddaughter, and left a suicide note to Mr. Zhang before jumping from the building. According to Mr. Zhang’s description to Jinyun News, the suicide note detailed the specific circumstances of the three medical disputes, “and finally asked me to clear her name.” He also revealed that after the incident, the police took Dr. Shao’s mobile phone from the scene and took down her farewell video and all the videos in the cyberbully’s account.
Currently, there is no conclusion from the competent authorities on the three medical disputes. Regarding the amniotic fluid embolism involved in the first dispute, it is an extremely dangerous complication during childbirth, that is, amniotic fluid suddenly enters the mother’s blood circulation, causing pulmonary hypertension, hypoxia, multiple organ failure, and a series of serious symptoms. If not intervened in time, it will eventually lead to systemic bleeding tendency, and can be accompanied by multiple organ failure, which is one of the important causes of death in pregnant women. Wang Qiong, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, told Caixin that amniotic fluid embolism can cause massive uterine bleeding, with a mortality rate of up to 86%. In this case, if the uterus is not removed to stop the bleeding, it may lead to the death of the pregnant woman due to bleeding, causing great difficulty in rescue.
Regarding Dr. Shao’s disputes and the handling of cyberbullying, Caixin has contacted the Sixth People’s Hospital of Zhoukou and the local public security department multiple times, but has not received a response. Currently, the Zhoukou Municipal Health Commission and relevant departments have established an investigation team to conduct investigation and handling in accordance with laws and regulations and properly handle the aftermath.
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