BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities will launch a nationwide campaign targeting corruption and misconduct in pharmaceutical sales and healthcare services, as part of broader efforts to improve industry governance and maintain public trust in the medical sector.
The National Health Commission (NHC), together with 13 other government departments, recently issued a circular outlining key tasks for rectifying malpractice in both the pharmaceutical distribution sector and medical services in 2026, the NHC said in a press release on Monday.
Among 11 major tasks listed in the circular, authorities pledged to crack down on crimes such as violent attacks on medical workers and online harassment targeting healthcare institutions.
The campaign will also target illegal marketing practices disguised as academic or research activities and violations in the medical aesthetics industry, including unlicensed services, unapproved short training courses and false commercial advertising.
Other areas under scrutiny include illegal surrogacy services, fetal gender identification and the issuance of fake birth certificates.
In the pharmaceutical circulation sector, regulators vowed to investigate violations like failure to clearly mark prices, price fraud and collusion to manipulate drug prices.
The circular highlighted stricter oversight regarding high-value medical consumables and medical equipment procurement. Authorities will focus on misconduct such as improper interference by key decision-makers in procurement processes, splitting procurement projects to evade public bidding requirements, and tailor-made tender specifications.
In addition, the circular called for stricter enforcement of professional ethics standards for medical personnel and anti-corruption rules for healthcare institutions, including university-affiliated hospitals. ■
