Celebrity doctor apologizes for online sexual harassment

Dermatologist, online celebrity doctor and renowned health blogger Lin Xiaoqing admitted to harassing female patients while chatting with them online and will seek help to treat his psychological addiction.

The Minnan Branch of the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University began an investigation and suspended Lin after a patient complained about the online harassment.

Although the hospital has not announced results of the investigation, Lin apologized on his Weibo account today, saying it was long overdue.

“The punishment was harsh, but I accepted it because I made the mistake,” Lin said, adding that his behavior is caused by a long-time mental addiction.

A woman claimed Lin harassed her during their online chat on May 6, posting screenshots of their conversation that began with education about sexually transmitted diseases and moved onto details about sexual intercourse.

Initially, Lin denied any wrongdoing. Instead, he blamed his assistant who he claimed used his account to harass others.

As the scandal evolved, more women came forward, claiming they had similar conversations with Lin and posted chat records.

The first victim said after exposing Lin’s behavior, at least 74 women — from a 17-year-old high school student to a mother of two — sent her messages with similar stories.

Lin said he made the assistant the scapegoat for fear the scandal might hurt him.

Lin was rated one of the 10 most influential health bloggers on China’s Twitter-like Weibo in 2017 and has 1.6 million followers.