Shanghai Doctor Accused of Malpractice Hit With Fine and Suspension

A Shanghai-based doctor who was previously accused of malpractice in cancer treatment has been punished by local health authorities with a six-month suspension and 30,000 yuan ($4,708) fine.

Lu Wei, a deputy chief physician at the Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, failed to fill in medical records in accordance with regulations, according to a statement (link in Chinese) issued by the Shanghai health commission Monday. He also failed to fulfill his obligation to inform patients while providing medical and health services, the statement said.

The statement comes after China’s top health body launched an investigation of Lu after online whistleblower Zhang Yu, who identified himself as an oncologist at Peking University Third Hospital in Beijing, in an online post in April accused Lu of deceiving a patient with advanced gastric cancer into receiving an unapproved NK (natural killer) cell-based cancer immunotherapy.

Zhang also claimed Lu used the “wrong treatment plan,” which accelerated the patient’s death and charged the family more than 10 times the price of standard treatments.

The Xinhua hospital has been warned and fined 40,000 yuan by the Shanghai health authority due to inadequate medical quality management, according to a statement (link in Chinese) issued Tuesday.

At the same time, authorities have confiscated illegal income worth 150,000 yuan from Shanghai Jiakang Bioengineering Co. Ltd., which illegally administered the NK therapy to Lu’s cancer patient and is believed to have business links to Lu, and handed the company a fine of 1.5 million yuan for “practicing without a medical license,” said a statement (link in Chinese) published by the Changning district government.

Caixin previously learned Lu was once a shareholder of Shanghai Bokang Biotechnology Co. Ltd., whose legal representative Xu Yibing also represents Jiakang. According to the statement, Xu’s beauty clinic in Shanghai was fined 3,000 yuan and its medical practice license was also revoked.

On April 27, the National Health Commission announced the initial results of the ongoing investigation into Lu, saying the treatment process was “basically compliant” with the law and regulations. However, it remains unclear if there was any improper exchange of benefits in Lu’s case. The commission has not yet disclosed further results.

Contact reporter Wang Xintong (xintongwang@caixin.com) and editor Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com)

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