Liver Transplant for Son with Liver Cancer Halted: Chinese Hospital Mix-Up Reveals "Not Biological Parent" Family Swap

Two young men switched at birth at Huaihe Hospital in China. Photo by Weibo Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] The story of a young man in China whose parents were switched due to a hospital's mistake has come to light.

On the 21st (local time), the Hong Kong South China Post reported the story of Yao Cheo (29), who passed away from liver cancer. Yao was diagnosed with liver cancer early last year, and the couple who raised him, Xu Min and his wife, decided to perform a liver transplant to save their son.

However, during the liver transplant compatibility test, the couple was found to be incompatible, revealing that they were not Yao Cheo's biological parents. Xu Min and his wife then visited Huaihe Hospital, where Yao was born, and discovered that their biological son and Yao Cheo had been switched.

Subsequently, to save Yao Cheo, Xu Min and his wife, with the help of the public security authorities, located Yao Cheo's biological parents, the Du Xinji couple. Xu Min and his wife also suspected that Yao Cheo's biological parents, who suffered from liver disease, might have intentionally switched the children to raise a healthy child and requested an investigation.

Chinese public security announced that the investigation revealed the hospital's mistake, caused by poor management and oversight. Huaihe Hospital had dressed all newborns in the same clothes and identified them by attaching labels with the mother's bed number to the clothes instead of using wristbands.

Yao Cheo and his biological parents demanded compensation from Huaihe Hospital for the negligence. The People's Court of Gulou District, Kaifeng City, Henan Province, ruled in December last year that Huaihe Hospital pay 760,000 yuan (approximately 130 million won), and in the appeal hearing held in February, ordered additional payment for medical and incidental expenses.

However, during the appeal process, Yao Cheo's condition worsened, and he ultimately passed away on March 23 at a hospital in Beijing. Meanwhile, it was reported that the Du Xinji couple sent their son Guo Wei, whom they had raised for 28 years, to his biological parents, Xu Min and his wife.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.