Taking a scalpel to hospital ticket scalpers

High demand for medical services has provided golden opportunities for unscrupulous gangs to fleece unsuspecting patients at some of the nation's major hospitals. Despite an official crackdown, the law-breakers continue to operate, as Zhang Yi and Wang Xiaodong report.

Wu Yutian arrived at Peking University First Hospital, a renowned establishment in downtown Beijing, at 2 am after a 60-minute bike ride in a bone-chilling November wind. When he entered the registration hall, Wu was annoyed to see a number of plastic bottles lined up in front of the registration windows, because in China, it's a common practice to place bottles in the line to reserve a space.

Wu seethed as he looked at the bottles in the empty hall, convinced that they had been placed there by ticket scalpers.