Clinic checks defended after criticism

SHENZHEN: The city's social security fund management administration yesterday refuted a report on its alleged improper entrapment practices in supervising the local medical institutions, claiming that its efforts are only meant to ensure the safety of the huge medical insurance fund.

Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday that supervisors from the administration pretended to be patients and set traps for doctors and other medical staff in a couple of community healthcare centers. As a result, the centers were fined or had their qualifications to receive patients with medical insurance suspended for three to 12 months.

The traps included the supervisors appearing at the healthcare centers, pretending to need emergency care, showing medical insurance cards of other people, whom they resembled. The doctors on duty later said the entrapments were unfair, as they had no time to check the information on the medical insurance cards.