The local prosecutors have checked and verified that Wei Li, head of the Benxi Occupational Diseases Hospital, took nearly 300,000 yuan (US$36,200) from his patients over a period of just three months, the Liaoning Daily reported.

According to an official from the Benxi Anti-Corruption Bureau, in Benxi, if a miner's lungs are found to have been damaged due to the conditions in the selenium mines, then he will be given compensation and preferential treatment.

A miner with damaged lungs will receive medical treatment and care for the rest of his life free of charge. Also, his work unit, from which the miner will be retired, will continue to pay him a basic wage for the rest of his life.

Since last October, miners in Benxi have been having checkups at the occupational diseases hospital, where doctors have the final say as regards the condition of their lungs.

It was from this situation that corruption emerged. To ensure that their lungs would be diagnosed as damaged, many miners offered Wei Li, head of the hospital, bribes.

The prosecutors found a notebook in Wei's office in which he recorded who had given him money and how much.

Wei used the letter "W" (the first letter of the word five in pinyin) to indicate a bribe of 5,000 yuan (US$603) and "Y" (the first letter of the word for 10,000 in pinyin) to indicate a bribe of 10,000 yuan (US$1,206).

Thorough investigation has shown that at least 31 people apparently gave bribes to Wei, and another 100 were involved as introducers.

(China Daily 02/05/2001)