New campaign to sweep illegal clinics, abortions

Chinese authorities will on Oct. 1 launch a one-year campaign to crack down on unlicensed clinics and disqualified doctors. The campaign will be deployed by six government and military organs led by the Ministry of Public Security and the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the commission announced on Friday. It will focus on sweeping unauthorized black clinics, doctors without medical qualifications and those who practice medical services in the name of the armed forces, according to the commission. It said that the campaign will seriously punish medical institutions that conduct fetal sex diagnosis and sex-selective abortions not based on surgery or other medical needs. Medical institutions' other illegal operations, such as employing non-medical staff and practicing beyond their approved service items, will also be investigated, added the commission.