Physician suspected of illegal procedures

Liu Xiangfeng, associate chief physician at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in Changsha, Hunan province, suspected of conducting illegal procedures in medical treatments, is under supervision and investigation, local authorities reported on Thursday night.

Liu, who is also former deputy director of Hunan Trauma Emergency Medical Center, is allegedly involved in serious violations of the law, according to the Hu­-nan commission for discipline inspection and supervisory commission.

Earlier this month, Liu, 48, was reported by netizens on Sina Weibo for conducting excessive medical treatments, demanding high fees from patients through frequent robotic surgery and expensive therapeutic schedules, and persuading patients to buy healthcare products as medicine.

The event triggered heated discussion about medical ethics and doctor-patient relationships, and the topic about Liu had received 310 million views on Weibo by Friday afternoon.

The Second Xiangya Hospital established a special leading group focused on improving medical practice and regulating medical behaviors at a conference on Thursday afternoon.

The group said it would strengthen discipline and promote professional ethics and legal education among its medical workers.

Li Zhihong, director of the hospital, said the hospital has zero tolerance for illegal acts, and it would cooperate with the investigation and rectify the situation. The hospital, built in 1958, is a public tertiary hospital in Central China, and has a high reputation among the public.

The General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in June released working rules for discipline inspection and supervisory commissions, which said they should crack down on corruption and focus on persons chiefly in charge.