An image going viral on social media (here, here, and here) showing doctors bowing their heads in front of a dead body is being shared with the claim that they are paying tribute to Sitaram Yechury, whose body was donated for medical research. Let’s verify the post through this article.
Claim: The image shows AIIMS Delhi doctors paying tribute to Sitaram Yechury, whose body was donated for medical research.
Fact: This is not a photo of doctors paying tribute to Sitaram Yechury, whose body was donated for medical research. Instead, it is a photo taken at a hospital in China in 2016. Dr. Zhao Xu, a 41-year-old from Anhui Province in eastern China, volunteered to work with a group of doctors in Shannan, Tibet Autonomous Region. During his service, he suffered a brain aneurysm, which later led to his death. Zhao’s family honoured his last wishes by donating his kidneys, liver, and corneas. His fellow doctors paid their respects in this manner. Therefore, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
This post is being shared in the context of Sitaram Yechury, who passed away on 12 September 2024 while undergoing treatment at AIIMS, New Delhi (here and here). A reverse image search of the viral post revealed that the photo has been circulating on social media since 2020.
Further investigation led us to a Chinese news report published on 30 September 2016, titled “Chinese doctor dies volunteering in Tibet, donates his organs.” According to the report, Dr. Zhao Xu, a 41-year-old from Anhui Province in eastern China, volunteered with a group of doctors in Shannan, Tibet Autonomous Region. During his service, he suffered a brain aneurysm, which later resulted in his death. Fulfilling his last wishes, Zhao’s family donated his kidneys, liver, and corneas.
Additionally, we found that the photo was also published in a 2018 article by the website Sixth Tone, which discussed the growing trend of organ donation in China. According to the article, the image shows doctors and nurses paying tribute to an organ donor after surgery. It notes that the photo was taken on 29 September 2016 at a hospital in Hefei, Anhui Province, after extracting a patient’s usable organs. Russian media also reported on this incident.
To sum up, an old photo from China is being falsely shared as showing doctors paying tribute to Sitaram Yechury, whose body was donated for medical research.
