GUANGZHOU -- A hospital head in south China's Guangdong Province has recently been sentenced to ten years in prison for bribery.

Fang Ji, former head of Xinhui District People's Hospital in Jiangmen, was charged with taking US$233,900 worth of car, house and cash from pharmaceutical companies .

The hospital was also fined US$126,400 for taking US$992,400 in rebates from pharmaceutical companies, according to a verdict from the Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court.

The court has ordered to confiscate all the illicit money and assets.

Pharmaceutical companies often offer bribes to doctors or hospital officials so as to ensure the sales of their medicines.

Such crimes are partly blamed for China's many over-priced medicines, which are therefore often out of the reach of poor people.