Fraud Scandal Rocks ‘World’s Largest Hospital’ in China
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In an operating room at one of China’s largest medical centers, a surgeon unpacked a microvascular anastomosis device costing 16,800 yuan ($2,430) and tossed it directly into the trash. The patient, unconscious on the table, would later receive a bill for the expensive consumable.
A recent court ruling has exposed this scene as part of a four-year fraud scheme at Zhengzhou University First Affiliated Hospital. According to the verdict, Wang Fujian, a former deputy chief physician in the emergency surgery department, used 128 unsuitable devices during surgeries between February 2016 and July 2020. He defrauded 94 victims — including children as young as 1 — of more than 2.05 million yuan, with the funds flowing into the hospital’s accounts.
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- Surgeon Wang Fujian defrauded 94 patients at Zhengzhou University First Affiliated Hospital using unsuitable devices, causing over 2.05 million yuan in losses; he received kickbacks and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
- The hospital's management failed to prevent or stop the fraud despite internal complaints; courts ordered the hospital to compensate victims, highlighting regulatory and oversight issues.
- Leadership turmoil coincided with the scandal, with former president Kan Quancheng investigated and the hospital undergoing major restructuring.
- Shanghai Zhonghua Law Firm
- Huang Yi, a lawyer from Shanghai Zhonghua Law Firm, commented on the Zhengzhou University First Affiliated Hospital fraud case. He stated that the hospital is responsible for management negligence, specifically for failing to audit the use of expensive devices and allowing a doctor to continue practicing despite internal complaints.
- February 2016：
- Wang Fujian began using unsuitable microvascular anastomosis devices during surgeries at Zhengzhou University First Affiliated Hospital.
- November 2017：
- A patient named Peng received surgery and was charged for six devices; subsequent X-rays showed no rings present.
- 2018：
- Due to complaints, the hospital transferred Wang to a different branch.
- July 2020：
- End of the period during which Wang Fujian used 128 unsuitable devices in surgeries.
- Late 2021：
- Wang Fujian was suspended after a patient reported him to the police.
- 2022：
- Wang Jiaxiang, the former deputy under president Kan Quancheng, was investigated.
- December 2023：
- Wang Fujian was criminally detained, about a year and a half after his early retirement.
- May 2025：
- Kan Quancheng, the former president of the hospital, was placed under investigation.
- December 2025：
- The Zhengzhou Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Wang Fujian to 12 years in prison and fined him 400,000 yuan; the device supplier’s controller was also sentenced.
- February 2026：
- The hospital is undergoing a structural overhaul, closing one branch, spinning off another, and reducing its total bed count to about 7,500.
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