Photo: VCG

 
A maternity center in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province is suspected of providing illegal medical services and a further investigation is underway, Guangzhou Municipal Health Commission said on Thursday after undercover media reports claimed that maternity centers were involved in false advertising and surrogacy practices.

The health commission organized working teams overnight to conduct an investigation following the reports on Tuesday night. 

After a preliminary investigation, the Jianglan March maternity center in Liwan district of Guangzhou – which was mentioned in the undercover media reports – is suspected of using medical equipment to provide diagnosis and treatment services without having a proper license, according to the health commission. Further investigation is underway into whether it has provided surrogacy services.

For the other two maternity centers involved, no illegal medical activities have been found after onsite inspections, said the health commission. 

The commission will carry out a special inspection of maternity service institutions in the city, and urge relevant centers to rectify any problems. Any maternity service institutions found to have violated laws and regulations will be punished severely.

The media reports said that when a reporter visited the maternity center undercover, a nurse revealed that the center provides surrogacy and a pair of twins at the center were born that way.  

The story has sparked heated discussion on Chinese social media platform Weibo, and has gained more than 210 million views as of press time, with many netizens calling for a firm crackdown on suspected illegal activities.