A luxurious villa worth 40 million yuan, a private pool costing 2.3 million yuan, and a cash delivery chain amounting to as much as 45 million yuan… With the expulsion of Yang Hui, the former Party Secretary of the Health Commission of Guizhou Province, a shocking and appalling case of power-seeking and corruption has been fully exposed.
According to the announcement issued by the Guizhou provincial authorities on May 30th, Yang Hui, the former Party Secretary of the Health Commission of Guizhou Province, has been expelled from the Party and removed from public office for serious violations of discipline and law. The issue of his alleged bribery has been referred to the judicial authorities for handling.
The announcement stated that Yang Hui engaged in political climbing, sought benefits for others and received property for them during cadre reshuffles, violated regulations by accepting gifts, interfered unlawfully in market economic activities, and was greedy and corrupt. He used public power as a tool to seek personal gain, engaged in power-money exchanges on a large scale, used his position to obtain benefits for others, and illegally received substantial amounts of money.
This former high-ranking official at the age of only 52, saw his corruption deepen as his power increased. As a native of Bijie, Guizhou, Yang Hui had long been in positions within the provincial family planning and health system. During his tenure as the Party Secretary of the Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, he began to focus on and interfere in the procurement of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals.
Official disclosures revealed that Yang Hui personally selected and “nurtured” a businessman named Zhu for over ten years as his “money bag,” using his power to benefit Zhu’s company through financial transfers. As a “return,” Zhu sent 6 million yuan in cash to him from 2019 to 2021.
In 2021, Yang Hui set his eyes on a luxurious villa in the Guanshan Lake District of Guiyang with a total price of 40 million yuan. Zhu immediately promised to “foot the bill” and, through complex fund transfers, sent a total of 45 million yuan over two years to help Yang Hui fulfill his dream of a lavish abode. Following the purchase of the villa, Yang Hui spent 8.5 million yuan on renovations, including a private pool that cost as much as 2.3 million yuan.
To conceal his relationship with Zhu, Yang Hui deliberately avoided public contact, minimized communication, and even falsely claimed to others that Zhu was “someone else’s connection.”
Public records show that Yang Hui was promoted to the Party Secretary of the Health Commission of Guizhou Province in 2020. During his tenure, he was considered an important local cadre by Sun Zhigang, the then Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee. By catering to Sun’s wife, Huang, he further solidified his career and helped Zhu’s company secure more medical projects.
Yang Hui’s case exposes the long-standing collusion and corruption in the Chinese medical system, once again drawing widespread attention to the anti-corruption storm in the Chinese medical field.
Since 2023, the Chinese authorities have launched an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign within the medical system, leading to the downfall of numerous hospital directors and health system officials.
According to incomplete statistics, from January 9th to March 17th, 2023 alone, at least 34 hospital directors nationwide were investigated, ranging from community hospitals to tertiary hospitals. Within less than three weeks starting from July 21, 2023, nearly 30 individuals with positions like “hospital director,” “bureau chief,” and “secretary” within the medical system were under investigation, with about half of them either retired or had left office.
According to China New Health, as of 2024, at least 350 “key minority” cadres within the medical and health system nationwide have been investigated, including academic authorities, secretaries of tertiary hospitals, executives of pharmaceutical companies, and bureau-level officials.
In this anti-corruption storm, a group of high-level officials have been successively investigated, including: Ma Xiaowei, Director of the National Health Commission of China; Yu Luming, former Director of the Beijing Health Commission; Wei Xingang, former Party Secretary of the Health Commission of Heilongjiang Province; Zhang Yongyu, former Deputy Director of the Health Commission of Fujian Province; Liu Baoqin, former Director of the Health Commission of Shaanxi Province; and Duan Yufei, former Director of the Health Commission of Guangdong Province.
Of particular note is that within six months of Duan Yufei’s investigation, three successive “leaders” of the Health Commission of Guangdong Province (Duan Yufei, Zhu Hong, Chen Yuansheng) were all ousted from their positions, revealing the seriousness and complexity of corruption within the medical system.
It is widely analyzed that under the guise of “anti-corruption,” the Chinese Communist Party is cracking down on the medical field to quell social grievances accumulated during the three-year epidemic control period, viewing some medical system officials as scapegoats for its “clear zero” policy; and given the massive spending during the epidemic, this anti-corruption campaign is seen as a means to make money under the guise of rectification, to compensate for financial deficits.