Chinese social media users expressed outrage over a viral video showing an elderly woman who died outside a bank after being compelled to leave the hospital to withdraw funds for medical care.
The woman was reportedly partially paralyzed due to hemiplegia. After staying at a local hospital, she was supposed to be transferred to another facility for more treatment.
Patients were mandated to visit a branch of China’s Agricultural Bank in Zhuzhou city to withdraw around $7,000 in cash for the new hospital expenses. Her family put her in a wheelchair and accompanied her to the bank.
This requirement was typical of many financial institutions in China, as the Agricultural Bank utilized facial recognition technology to confirm the withdrawals.
Several other alarming cases of ill and elderly individuals being forced to leave their beds to visit banks stirred anger on Chinese social media. This frustration was particularly notable because many victims struggled to perform the necessary movements for facial recognition.
Tragically, the woman and her family spent nearly 90 minutes at the bank trying to get the facial recognition system to work before she collapsed and died right there. Emergency responders arrived, but they couldn’t revive her.
According to the woman’s nephew, the family brought all necessary identification and sought assistance from a bank teller for a quick withdrawal; however, staff insisted on using the facial recognition system despite her deteriorating health.
Reportedly, the bank released the requested funds only hours after her passing.
Radio Free Asia shared some of the angry reactions from social media users:
“The banking requirements can be too strict. Can we provide door-to-door service in special circumstances?” one netizen questioned.
Another user, named Snowstorm, remarked, “Shouldn’t all industries consider the needs of special groups and offer more humane care when making rules? Don’t ‘systems’ just become excuses to harm others?”
Pang Jiulin, an attorney from a Beijing law firm, added, “The real issue is that financial regulators lack detailed regulations… and prioritize bank security.”
Many commentators were taken aback that Chinese banks haven’t created a system allowing patients to access funds without needing to leave the hospital, especially given past incidents involving seriously ill individuals struggling to withdraw cash.
The bank and local police told Radio Free Asia they are investigating the incident. China Agricultural Bank has vowed to fully cooperate with the authorities. Police mentioned that they could share some information but confirmed the ongoing investigation into the woman’s death.
