Supervisory bodies push for improving people's well-being

Chinese supervisory authorities have stepped up efforts to combat misconduct and corruption in areas directly affecting people's daily lives, aiming to enhance their sense of public security, happiness and fulfillment, according to a report being reviewed by national lawmakers.

The report, delivered by Liu Jinguo, head of the National Commission of Supervision, was submitted on Sunday to the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body.

Data released in the report showed that supervisory departments across the country have handled 768,000 cases of misconduct and corruption closely related to people's daily lives since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2022, with 628,000 individuals disciplined.

In addition to constant efforts to advance the fight against misconduct and corruption, Liu noted that strong measures have particularly been taken since the beginning of this year in major fields such as health, education and rural affairs, in order to effectively curb improper practices that frequently bring public complaints.

Among the measures, supervisory organs nationwide have endeavored to fight corruption and misconduct in the medical industry, such as "red envelopes", or cash gifts from patients to doctors, given that the practice puts a financial burden on people and harms the doctor-patient relationship, he reported.

Patients have provided such payments to doctors before surgeries despite Chinese law, which prohibits medical staff members from asking for or accepting gifts, cash or other benefits from patients. Some patients worry that failing to offer the informal payment could lead to subpar treatment.

Liu emphasized the importance of cracking down on such misconduct, adding that those who have embezzled medical insurance funds have also been targeted.

According to the data, around 40,000 individuals have faced disciplinary action for medical misconduct, with 2,634 cases that have involved serious violations being transferred to prosecutors for further investigation.

To address the safety of school meals, Liu said that the commission has urged supervisory departments to conduct an assessment of canteens and food in primary and secondary schools across the country.

He cited data showing that 23,000 individuals were disciplined after being found to have embezzled funds intended for student meals, interfered in the bidding for and procurement of food, and accepted kickbacks, among other irregularities.

Liu also reported that a nationwide campaign to rectify corruption and misconduct in the funeral and burial sector was launched in November, with the initiative set to run for one year.

Supervisory authorities at all levels will continue to adopt a high-pressure stance on combating corruption in the areas that directly affect people's livelihood, he reported, adding that problems related to rural vitalization funds, medical insurance management and elderly care services are also to be better addressed, in order to meet the public's needs.

Yang Weidong, a law professor at China University of Political Science and Law, praised the strong efforts to combat misconduct and corruption in major areas that directly affect people's daily lives.

"The fields such as healthcare and education involve many families and the basic interests or even life safety of everyone, so strengthening supervisory investigation in these sectors is important and necessary," he said.

Using student meals as an example, he noted that supervisory investigation involved many departments, including schools, food suppliers and healthcare regulators, so that the supervisory and anti-corruption actions have covered every part of the sector.

He suggested that supervisory authorities open more platforms, such as hotlines or online channels, to collect feedback from the public or tips about misconduct in livelihood-related areas, so that efforts to fight misconduct can be advanced more effectively.