What’s new: The Chinese Hospital Association (CHA) has removed vice president Fang Laiying nearly 10 months after the retired Beijing health official disappeared from the public eye.
At a meeting Saturday, the association’s board members voted to remove Fang as part of a broader leadership reshuffle, according to a Tuesday statement from the nonprofit run by China’s top health regulator. Fang is no longer among the vice presidents listed on the CHA’s website.
Fang, who is in his late 60s, disappeared from public view last summer, with recent news saying he attended a gathering at the Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital in June.
The former drug regulator was taken away by investigators in June or July, sources told Caixin. It remains unclear whether the probe is related to China’s sweeping corruption crackdown on the health care industry.
Caixin tried to reach Fang multiple times, but his phone was turned off.
The background: A native of East China’s Shandong province, Fang started his political career in 2000 when he joined the Beijing Municipal Medical Products Administration. He rose through the ranks of the local health care system, serving as head of the administration and director of the capital’s health commission, among other positions.
Fang, who led Beijing’s health care reform efforts, retired from his health commission role in May 2017 and became vice president of the CHA in August that year. He was re-elected to the post five years later.
Contact reporter Wang Xintong (xintongwang@caixin.com) and editor Jonathan Breen (jonathanbreen@caixin.com)
