A male in China who performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a woman who collapsed in the street has been accused of groping her chest by online observers.
The controversy drew added attention online after the teacher told the media he was disappointed and frightened by the derogatory comments, Jiupai News reported.
The woman collapsed on a street in Hengyang, central Hunan province, on July 12.
Initially, a female doctor from a local hospital carried out CPR on her.
When the doctor became tired from massaging, she asked if anyone else was able to carry out the emergency procedure.
The man, surnamed Pan, a teacher at the medical school of a university in the city, was riding a bicycle nearby.
He offered to help without hesitation, explaining that he had a degree in clinical medicine and had received CPR training.
Pan and the doctor took turns performing CPR on the woman.
The doctor was also observing her vital signs and urging her relative to call an ambulance.
Ten minutes later, the woman regained weak breath and pulse and opened her eyes. An ambulance arrived, and she was taken away, accompanied by her relative.
After the video of Pan and the doctor went viral on social media, some people said that Pan appeared to place his hands in the wrong place.
“He is obviously groping her chest,” one online observer said.
“It is better to let a female apply CPR,” said another.
While a third person added: “Why is it necessary to press on her chest? How about just massaging her belly?”
Pan, 42, said he was shocked by the negative public reaction.
“I feel frightened. If I had known that I would be rebuked, I would not have taken the initiative to help. I am so bitterly disappointed,” Pan told the media.
He added that he made every attempt to keep his hands on the woman’s sternum.
“If my CPR skills were wrong, the medical staff would have pointed it out. But so far no one has,” said Pan.
Many more people went online to support Pan’s Good Samaritan behaviour.
A man, surnamed Deng, who was among the witnesses, said: “The situation was critical. No one thought about whether he had groped her chest or not.
“The woman fainted and lost consciousness. They saved her through their efforts,” said Deng.
An online observer defended Pan and said: “In such an emergency, saving life is the first priority. There is no time to consider whether it should be a male or a female to save her.”
