Doctors of East China's Anhui Province. Photo: IC

 Four local officials have been removed from their post after publishing an anti-gang brochure that listed doctors as topping a list of the 10 most heartless professions in China.

The brochure published in Weitang town, Xiangcheng district of Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province used extreme language to disparage doctors and the healthcare sector.  

The brochure claims the healthcare sector is too corrupt to manage, that no doctor responsibly prescribes drugs and patients face arbitrary fees.  

"Four local officials will be removed for not strictly reviewing the content of brochure and others deemed responsible for the brochure will also be dealt with," an anonymous employee from the local government told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Local police confirmed the matter on Tuesday and have retrieved all the brochures, a police officer said in a video on btime.com.

The government in Weitang town has also apologized saying on Tuesday the incident has caused adverse social impact.

The brochure received a flood of criticism on social media.

"You will regret saying such things when you get sick and need a doctor," one netizen commented. 

"I hope the police could thoroughly investigate the lazy staff," another net user said on Sina Weibo.