Zhengzhou authorities suspend health check services at 3 medical institutions
Local health authorities in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, have ordered three medical institutions to suspend their employee health examination services and launched investigations after they were found violating regulations in issuing health certificates, including accepting empty stool samples and skipping required tests.
According to a report by China Central Television, serious irregularities were found in the process of issuing health certificates at several medical institutions in Zhengzhou, Nanning (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Shenyang (Liaoning Province) and Tianjin City.
According to Chinese laws, professionals in five high-risk sectors — food production/operations, public venue services, specialized production (cosmetics/disposable medical supplies), hazardous/toxic/radioactive work, and childcare — must obtain health certificates.
Health screenings primarily target infectious diseases including dysentery, typhoid, active tuberculosis, contagious skin conditions, and other communicable illnesses. Individuals diagnosed with such diseases are prohibited from customer-facing roles involving food handling, hairdressing, or public bathhouse services until fully recovered.
In some cases, applicants submitted empty sample tubes yet still obtained health certificates, while specimen collection was merely a formality. Unregulated proxy testing and lax supervision were also uncovered, with many applicants describing the process as "not strict" and just "a mere formality."
Investigations revealed that some hospitals in Zhengzhou had even eliminated stool testing from the required procedures.
A staff member at Zhengzhou Erqi Aikang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital tells the people coming for physical examinations that they don't need to take the stool test in a screengrab from the CCTV report.
On Monday, the Zhengzhou Municipal Health Commission issued a notice confirming that Erqi Aixin Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital (formerly Erqi Aikang TCM Hospital), Jinshui Huici Hospital, and Jinshui Fudetang TCM Hospital had violated regulations by failing to conduct proper health examinations.
Additionally, Jinshui Huici Hospital was found to have issued health certificates without direct physician evaluations.
The commission stated that local authorities had suspended the health examination services at these institutions and initiated legal proceedings, imposing administrative penalties.
Furthermore, the commission announced a citywide campaign to rectify irregularities in employee health check-ups, ensuring all medical facilities comply with legal and regulatory standards.
