The 7th meeting of the 14th National People’s Congress Standing Committee has passed the latest Amendment (XII) to China’s Criminal Law, which is set to take effect from March 1, 2024. This revision enhances the potential penalties associated with bribery in sectors including healthcare, food and drug industries, and other critical areas.
Following the amendment to Article 390 of the Criminal Law, a new clause has been introduced: Bribery in areas such as ecological environment, finance, safety production, food and medicine, disaster prevention and relief, social security, education, healthcare, etc., will be subject to more severe punishment.
In a bid to combat corruption, the National Health Commission (NHC) and 13 other bureaus jointly issued a notification on “Key Points for Correcting Unhealthy Practices in the Field of Pharmaceutical Procurement/Sales and Medical Services in 2023” in May of the previous year. A nationwide anti-corruption campaign was initiated in July 2023, leading to a series of high-profile prosecutions. Building on these efforts, the NHC released the “Management Measures for Hospital Inspection Work (Trial)” and the “New Round of Large Hospital Inspection Work Plan (2023-2026)” last month, with hospital inspections scheduled from December 2023 to October 2026.- Flcube.com
