Story By: John Feng, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
Video Credit: AsiaWire
A hospital says it has suspended several of its nurses after viral footage seen over four million times showed them taking turns to lie on a bed used by a celebrity pop singer and apparently auctioning his used syringe and IV drip bag.
The incident took place at Zhenjiang First People’s Hospital in East China’s Jiangsu Province shortly after Singaporean pop singer LL Lin checked out following fluid treatment.
The singer, who is otherwise known as Wayne Lim Jun Jie, 38, was taken to hospital after his sold-out performance in front of a packed audience at the Zhenjiang Sports and Exhibition Center on 26th October.
The concert was part of his Sanctuary 2.0 World Tour.
A social media frenzy ensued when footage appeared to show hospital nurses taking turns to lie in JJ Lin’s bed while having their picture taken.
Images trending online also showed what appeared to be a used IV drip bag and syringe being auctioned to the highest bidder, with a follow-up post claiming the items had been taken “by a fan”.
Zhenjiang First People’s Hospital responded to widespread online criticism by saying it had suspended staff members involved in the incident, saying they would be punished accordingly after an investigation. It was unclear at the time of writing whether this meant the nurses faced permanent dismissal.
In the online statement, the facility said none of the used medical equipment had left the hospital.
The used drip bag and syringe were discarded and disposed of as per hospital regulations, the hospital said, adding that pictures taken by their nurses – described as ‘fans’ – were later misused by netizens who claimed to be auctioning them as memorabilia.
JFJ Productions, the pop singer’s agency, said it JJ Lin was treated at the hospital in the early hours of 27th October after experiencing some discomfort after the concert.
It said it “deeply regretted” the leaking of JJ Lin’s personal information by hospital employees who “neglected their professional ethics”, but said it trusted the facility to handle the matter appropriately.
It was unclear whether the hospital planned to take legal action against the social media users who claimed to auction the singer’s used medical equipment.
JJ Lin’s next concert is scheduled for 2nd November at the Chongqing Olympic Sports Center in south-western China.
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