5 NW China officials dismissed over alleged child trafficking

Two government officials and three hospital officials in Fuping County in northwest China's Shaanxi Province have been dismissed over alleged infant trafficking, the provincial government said Friday. The director and deputy director of the county's health bureau have been dismissed following allegations of infant trafficking at a local hospital, according to the provincial government. Police recently rescued several newborns who were allegedly sold to human traffickers by a doctor surnamed Zhang who worked at the Fuping County Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital. The hospital's head and two of her subordinates were fired on Sunday over the alleged trafficking. Police have received reports of 55 trafficking cases from local citizens, including 26 cases in which Zhang was allegedly involved. Zhang has been detained on suspicion of human trafficking. In one case, Zhang allegedly obtained the infant by falsely claiming that the child had congenital diseases, convincing the mother to abandon treatment and allow the doctor to handle the baby. The mother, a woman surnamed Dong, later realized that her baby might have been abducted and reported the incident to police on July 20. Provincial governor Lou Qinjian said police will thoroughly investigate the cases and strongly punish those responsible.