Chinese Medical Procurement Field Exposes Another Commercial Bribery Case
The National Medical Insurance Administration of the Chinese Communist Party recently reported a case of commercial bribery in the field of medical procurement and sales. According to the announcement on the 13th, Hebei Medical University Second Hospital (hereinafter referred to as Hebei Med Second Hospital) was involved in a commercial bribery case, with a total amount involved reaching 1.84 billion yuan (RMB), and over 30 pharmaceutical companies implicated.
The National Medical Insurance Administration stated that an analysis of the sources of commercial bribery cases in the medical procurement field over the past three years revealed that some medical institutions had lax internal education management. Their staff accepted commercial bribes from untrustworthy enterprises more frequently, in larger amounts, and for longer durations.
In 2025, a scientific and trade business in Shanghai was involved in a case of bribery related to stents and balloon catheters, exposing the issue of “5,000 yuan kickback for each stent” at Hebei Med Second Hospital. Subsequently, in the second half of 2025, there were 9 judicial criminal judgments involving the hospital.
The staff of the hospital accepted commercial bribes 46 times, with the maximum amount involved in a single instance reaching 16.58 million yuan and the longest duration lasting for 11 years, totaling 1.84 billion yuan. The announcement did not further disclose the specific identities of the staff involved.
The National Medical Insurance Administration reported that after analysis, it was found that more than 30 pharmaceutical companies had been bribing staff at the hospital for a long time. Among them, 11 enterprises such as Hebei Xiang’en Medical Device Trading Co., Ltd., Beijing Jinkaihui Medical Device Co., Ltd., Hebei Mingshi Medical Device Trading Co., Ltd., and Shijiazhuang Shangdaoxuan Medical Device Trading Co., Ltd. were implicated in bribery.
Hebei Xiang’en Medical Device Trading Co., Ltd. was involved in bribes totaling 20.64 million yuan to sell overpriced medical consumables to the hospital staff.
The bribery involved around 30 types of medical consumables, including artificial lenses, drug-eluting stent systems, rapid exchange balloon catheters, with a total bribery amount of about 174 million yuan.
Furthermore, the implicated drugs included injections of naphthalene sodium, oxycodone injection, lansoprazole injection, sodium mefenamic acid injection, and more, with a total bribery amount of about 10 million yuan.
The National Medical Insurance Administration stated that from these cases, it can be seen that the chain of commercial bribery in the Chinese medical procurement field is complex. Some pharmaceutical companies influence medical staff decisions on drugs and equipment through benefit transmission, thereby providing space for commercial bribery through inflated pricing.
Subsequently, topics such as “30 pharmaceutical companies hunt down one hospital,” “Hebei Med Second Hospital employees received bribes 46 times in 11 years,” and “Hebei Med Second Hospital received 46 bribes totaling 1.84 billion” trended on Weibo.
One netizen commented, “This is too terrible. In 11 years, 30 pharmaceutical companies, 46 bribery cases, totaling 1.84 billion, with the highest single amount of 16.58 million. Thirty pharmaceutical companies surrounding a hospital is like a hunt on the African savanna.”
Some netizens questioned the term “hunting,” suggesting there is an exchange of benefits between the parties involved in bribery.
Another netizen pointed out that ultimately, the high drug prices are borne by the patients: “The cost falls on the sheep itself. So, what will such pharmaceutical companies and hospitals bring to patients? Only disasters. 1.84 billion is not just a number, who paid for this money? The patients. Each inflated consumable, each expensive drug pushed, in the end, will be reflected in our bills. Pharmaceutical companies spend tens of millions on bribes, turning around and making double from medical insurance and patients. This is not business, it’s plunder.”
Some netizens urged for stronger punishment, “The Medical Insurance Administration named 11 companies, but what happens after being named? Those who should be sentenced should be sentenced, those who should be fined should be fined, don’t just give a slap on the wrist. A kickback of 5,000 yuan for a stent, for every prescription, a kickback. The conscience has long been silenced by money. It’s easy to catch a few hospital directors, but without hitting the cost of bribery to bankruptcies, the parasites in white coats will never be fully caught.”
Hebei Medical University Second Hospital is a large tertiary Class A comprehensive hospital in Hebei Province, founded in 1918. It currently has its main campus, Luquan campus, and Zhengding campus, with a total of 116 clinical and technical departments.