In-debt hospitals 'gouging patients'

Medical bills are being run up to improve the bottom line: expert

BEIJING - Nine county-level hospitals out of 10 are running with massive debts and are pushing up their medical bills in a bid to strengthen their balance sheets, the director of the Chinese Hospital Association has said.

In addition, they are struggling with a lack of government funding, said Cao Ronggui. He was speaking during a forum of hospital chiefs in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Sunday.