As part of an extensive anti-corruption campaign in China over the past few weeks, 176 leaders of medical institutions have been arrested, Global Times has reported.
Since mid-July, Chinese authorities have apprehended hospital administrators in over 20 regions across the country. In the Shandong province alone, there were 2,521 reports of corruption within the healthcare sector, leading to investigations involving 937 individuals.
According to healthcare expert Zhong Chunmin, corruption within the medical sector is a "serious problem undermining trust in the Chinese healthcare system."
In recent weeks, corruption-fighting conferences in the public healthcare sector have been initiated in more than 20 provincial regions, including Shandong, Xinjiang, Tianjin, and Jiangsu. Since the beginning of August, daily reports have emerged indicating that officials within the medical system are being interrogated and removed from their positions.
For instance, the Shanxi province announced on Friday that it had received 2,521 reports of medical corruption this year. A total of 937 individuals were questioned, resulting in the retrieval of 3,470 "red envelopes" (bribes).
Investigations were launched at the Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in Hunan province, Central China, after nine hospital employees reported violations of departmental rules that allegedly led to the deaths of two patients.
Chunmin asserted that such crimes lead to the improper allocation of medical resources, as funds intended for patient care are misused.
Several Chinese pharmaceutical companies, such as Shanghai-based Rongsheng Biotech, recently withdrew their applications for A-class stock market listings due to the country's intensified efforts in combating corruption within the medical sector, according to media reports on August 10.
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