By Yang Wanli

The husband of an Australian professor, who died during an operation at the hospital where she worked, is demanding 5 million yuan (S$1million) in compensation for his wife's death.

Wang Jianguo will appear in Beijing High Court today, nearly four years after his wife Xiong Zhuowei, who held an Australian passport, died after orthopedic surgery at Peking University First Hospital.

Wang, a marketing professor at Guanghua School of Management, one of China's best business schools, has waged a protracted legal battle for appropriate compensation.

In July, the Beijing No 1 Intermediate Court ordered the hospital pay 700,000 yuan in compensation. Wang was dissatisfied with the amount and appealed the decision to the High Court.

Wang said that his wife was a Chinese-Australian so the compensation amount should reflect sums paid for the death of a foreigner, which are higher than that for Chinese.

"It is absurd that a professor died of improper treatment of her own hospital," Wang said.

Xiong was a professor of medicine at the university. She died on Jan 31, 2006, seven days after surgery, after the main artery to her lung became blocked.

She was a successful professor at the hospital and had spent several years completing medical research in Singapore. Her research on lipoprotein won two grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Wang said his wife's medical records showed that her ribs were broken, and her heart and liver were also damaged.

Wang's lawyer Zhuo Xiaoqin told CCTV that Xiong died because her ribs were broken in emergency aid, and this pierced the heart and then the liver.

"I was shocked that three doctors responsible for my wife's surgery were all postgraduate students in Peking University Health Science Center," Wang told METRO.

However, a statement from the Peking University First Hospital yesterday said that CCTV's report was groundless.

According to a statement published on the hospital's website, the accusation of "illegal medical practice in the program is untrue."

"The surgery was conducted by professor Li Chunde, director of the hosptial's orthopaedic department. The operation was successful. And the death of Xiong was caused by the surgical complications," said the statement.

It said that all the doctors related to Xiong's operation were qualified, and it said that CCTV report could impact the fairness of the compensation hearing.

A press official surnamed Rong at Peking University First Hospital said: "When doctors did first aid for Xiong, her heartbeat had already stopped. And the court didn't say this was an accident in the first hearing."

"We will follow whatever rule from the court. But now, Wang's requirement is absolutely unreasonable."