Why did a group of hospitalized patients play cards and drink alcohol like healthy people in their wards? Because they were helping the hospitals lie for money.

The people were hired by two private hospitals in the northeastern city of Shenyang in order to fake diagnosis reports and obtain medical insurance compensation. Nearly 40 people have been detained for the insurance fraud, which was uncovered by state broadcaster CCTV last week.

The heads of both hospitals, Yuhong Jihua Hospital and a traditional Chinese medicine hospital specializing in kidney diseases, have also been arrested, according to the official Shenyang Daily.

The medical insurance involved in the case isn’t a commercial package, but rather a government-backed one that the majority of Chinese people must buy. Retirees can claim 97% of their hospitalization bills in these hospitals, according to the CCTV report.