A destitute Chinese farmer suffering from untreatable infection caused by frostbite amputated both his feet with broken glass due to his inability to pay the USD 1,700-fee for hospital surgery.
Liu Dunhe, 44, a villager from Anhui province, used "shards of broken glass" to amputate his feet after suffering unbearable pain, the Beijing News reported.
Liu was afflicted with frost-bite in both feet last winter after tending to his farm barefooted, but did not pay attention to the ailment at first.
His condition quickly deteriorated and his feet soon became swollen, infected and the tissue eventually began to rot - inflicting tremendous pain.
When he visited a local hospital and was told he needed surgery to amputate both feet that cost over 10,000 yuan (USD 1,700), Liu decided to attempt the operation himself.
Liu, who has no family and lives by himself, carried out the operation, which he described as "six hours of torment", in secrecy.
"I used the glass to repeatedly cut through my muscle tendon. It was astonishingly painful," he was cited recalling the gruesome process.
"I had to swallow some alcohol to try to anaesthetise myself when I couldn't stand the pain," he told the daily.
However the amputation "was a release", he said.
After hearing about the tragic event, local village officials took Liu to a district hospital and raised 23,000 yuan to cover his medical expenses.
Liu received further remedial surgery at the hospital and was given anti-inflammatory treatment yesterday. He is expected to be discharged from hospital within two weeks.
His plight mirrors another gruesome case highlighting the condition of the poor who are often unable to afford proper medical treatment in China, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
Last October, an impoverished Hebei villager used a saw and a fruit knife to almost sever his entire right leg after suffering large spread of infection following a rare disease.
The farmer, Zheng Yanliang, had sought medical help in Baoding and Beijing for a sudden artery blockage affecting his legs but was told he would not survive the surgery.
While his family was away, he cut off his left foot at the ankle and severed his right leg at the thigh.
The revelation triggered an outpouring of sympathy from the public, who raised some 360,000 yuan in donations to help with his medical treatment.
The villager is now able to walk with the aid of artificial limbs thanks to follow-up treatment and remedial care.
