The father of Yue Yue, the toddler who died after being hit by two vehicles in South China, has promised to ensure that all the money donated by the public to cover his child's medical bills will go to worthy causes.

Wang Chichang, father of 2-year-old Yue Yue who died after being hit by two vehicles last month, donates 30,000 yuan (US$4,700) to an anemic girl in Anhui province on Nov 2. The woman receiving the money is a classmate of the girl's father. [Photo / China Daily]

Wang Chichang could not confirm how much he and his wife have received since the tragedy, but said that when his 2-year-old daughter died the sum was at least 200,000 yuan (US$31,000).

"Since Yue Yue's death, our hearts have been with those in equally terrible situations as our daughter," he said. "Although this money was donated to cover hospital expenses, we will definitely be giving it to children and others who really need help."

Donations began flooding in shortly after footage showing Yue Yue being hit by two vehicles and ignored by 18 passers-by spread around the world last month. The incident happened close to her parents' market stall in Foshan, Guangdong province.

Wang said he has already given 60,000 yuan to a 25-year-old man with leukemia in Maoming, Guangdong, and 30,000 yuan to an anemic girl in East China's Anhui province.

"All I did was to express our sincere thanks to those who helped Yue Yue and to rouse public awareness to improve the care of children," he said. "I don't know exactly how much we received, but we'll let the public know each sum of money from the donation we pass on to those in need."

He added that the media will be informed about all future uses for the cash to ensure transparency.

Following the outcry over Yue Yue's death, some people have now turned their anger on her parents.

The couple was even criticized for closing their shop, with rumors circulating online that they had taken the donation money and returned to Wang's hometown in the coastal province of Shandong.

"We have still not recovered from Yue Yue's death," Wang said. "We may not reopen the business at the market."

China has no specific regulations on how to use donations if the intended recipient dies, said attorney Zhao Shaohua at Guangdong Chuangji Law Firm in Guangzhou.

"In Yue Yue's case, her father has the right to decide how to use the donated money," he said, although he explained that it should still be used in accordance with wishes of the people who gave it.

"If the money was donated to cover payment of medical treatment, for example, the family can't use the money for other things," he said.

Since most donations to Yue Yue were not made with special conditions, Zhao said donors have the right to recall the money or specify it for other uses.

A number of donation disputes have been triggered by the death of the intended recipients in recent decades.

In 2000, the family of Yu Hui, a tax worker diagnosed with leukemia, filed a lawsuit against the taxation bureau in Hexian county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, for not passing on a large proportion of the donated money.

They claimed that officials collected more than 200,000 yuan toward Yu's surgery, but only about 100,000 yuan was used before he died in 1998.

A court later rejected the claim by Yu's family. It was ruled that the donations were intended only to cover Yu's medical expenses and that the tax bureau was entitled to keep the rest for other purposes.

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