Chinese hospital holds baby hostage over payment

BEIJING - A baby has allegedly been kept hostage by a hospital in China’s Guangdong province for the past 100 days after his parents failed to settle the medical bill.

Liu Baihu, 32, the boy’s father, owes 39,000 yuan ($5,693) to the Dongguan Maternal and Child Health Hospital, where his girlfriend, Yi Haijin, gave birth to their son in January. Liu was not able to pay the bill as he lost his job soon after his son’s birth.

The government and hospital officials were trying to negotiate with Liu for a solution.

“We have no other choice but keep the baby here. The government has been involved to find the best solution both for the baby’s family and our hospital,” a hospital employee named Li was quoted as saying by Global Times Thursday.

Yi delivered the baby Jan 19, after making a surgery deposit of 1,200 yuan ($175), far less than the total cost of the surgery. Though she recovered in two weeks and left the hospital, her baby was held back in the maternity ward.

“We planned to pay by instalment, but the hospital refused,” Liu was quoted as saying.

The baby is healthy and the hospital has arranged for people to take care of him.