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HomeFact CheckOld Hoax Of ‘Cancer Patient Throwing Away Money’ Resurfaces

Old Hoax Of ‘Cancer Patient Throwing Away Money’ Resurfaces

Authors

Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.

A photograph showing people looking at numerous currency notes scattered on the floor along with an empty bag of what seems to be a hospital corridor is going viral on social media platforms claiming to show the aftermath of an interaction between a cancer patient and a doctor.  Those sharing the image claim that  an “angry and frustrated” cancer patient threw the money across the hospital’s corridor after the doctor told her that “her cancer is in the final stage” and beyond help.

The posts further add that after hearing the doctor’s statement, a dejected woman (not visible in the photo) threw the money, shouting “what`s the use of having the money … Money cannot buy health, money to buy time, money cannot buy life.” While some posts claim that the incident took place at a Nigerian hospital, others just say ‘a hospital’. Newschecker found the claim to be untrue.

Several Facebook users shared the viral post.

Old Hoax Of Cancer Patient Throwing Away Money Resurfaces
Screenshot of Facebook post by @ultimateCosmas
Screenshot of Facebook post in group @My Feelings
Screenshot of Facebook post by user Vanhu Vemu Tv . Com
Screenshot of Facebook post by @jaigaonassist

Links to such posts can be found here, here, here and here

Old Hoax Resurfaces

This is not the first time that this image has gone viral with the same claim that a frustrated final stage cancer patient dumped the money on the hospital floor. Similar claims can be found on social media platforms since at least 2017.

Also Read: Here’s The Truth Behind Viral Video Of ‘Father Saving Children From Flood In Oman’

Fact Check/Verification

We noticed some text written at the bottom of the image along with an icon, seemingly of a messaging platform, and used Google Lens to translate the same in English. The text read “Guoyang people”. Notably, Guoyang is a county in China.

Taking a clue, we conducted Google reverse image search on the viral image with the keyword China which led us to a 2014 report by Vietnamese online news outlet VnExpress. Displaying the viral image, the report elaborated on an incident that took place at Harbin Medical University Hospital in China. It stated that a Chinese man “angered” over his girlfriend’s betrayal, “spread” RMB ( Renminbi- the official currency of China) “around the hospital.”

Screengrab from VnExpress website

Another Vietnamese website Tinmoi reported on the  incident on July 8, 2014. As per the report,  the incident happened on July 3 at the hospital affiliated to Harbin Medical University (China.) A man who was angry with his ex-girlfriend threw money at her and “the 100 yuan bills scattered and scattered across the hospital corridor.” 

Along with the viral image, the report featured some additional photographs depicting the incident. A closer look at one of those, ascertained that the notes scattered on the floor was Chinese currency.

Screengrab from Tinmoi website

We can thus conclude that the incident took place in China and not in Nigeria as being widely claimed. Additionally, the image does not depict money thrown by a “frustrated final stage cancer patient,” rather a fallout of a Chinese couple.

But why did the man choose a hospital to avenge the betrayal? What was his ex-girlfriend doing there? We continued our investigation to find out more about the same which led us to a report by Chinese website ETtoday, dated July 5, 2014. The report stated that some netizens claimed to be witnesses, pointing out that the woman (referring to the ex-girlfriend) was a young nurse on duty at the hospital.

Another Chinese website news.qq.com quoted an insider saying that after the incident, the security guards maintained order at the scene, and there was no scrambling for banknotes, and the scene was relatively stable: one of the two quarrels in the incident was a female nurse in the hospital: the incident was a private incident, not the behaviour of the hospital.

Screenshot from news.qq.com

Other reports on the incident can be found here, here, here and here.

Conclusion

Viral image is neither from Nigeria nor does it show money thrown by a “frustrated final stage cancer patient.” The image is from a 2014 incident at a Chinese hospital involving a Chinese man and his ex-girlfriend.

Result: False

Sources

Report By Tinmoi, Dated July 8, 2014
Report By ETtoday, Dated July 5, 2014
Report By news.qq.com, Dated July 5, 2014


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Authors

Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.

Vasudha Beri
Vasudha Beri
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.

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