Chinese doctor fired for telling parents to give babies protein drink instead of formula milk
- Hospital in Guangdong province says none of the babies given the over-the-counter product have shown any ill effects so far
- Case follows a scandal in Hunan province earlier this year, where five children fell ill after being given fake formula milk
A doctor in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong has been sacked for recommending protein drinks for babies.
According to a statement released on Saturday by Huizhou city in the southeast of the province, a doctor surnamed Chen was removed from the city’s No 2 Maternity and Childcare Hospital due to misconduct.
Chen, 40, was found to have recommended an over-the-counter protein drink as an alternative to formula milk to 43 babies who were allergic to normal milk. The authorities started investigating the case in May after concerned parents complained to the hospital.
None of the 43 babies who consumed the protein drink have so far shown any signs of ill health and the hospital promised to offer free health checks and medical treatment for all affected children in the future.
It also apologised to the parents.
China investigates claims babies sickened by fake milk formula
Zhang Xiaofeng, a doctor from a maternity hospital in Hubei province, said protein drinks are not a suitable substitute for formula milk because it does not give them the nutrition they require.
“A protein drink is just a drink … it cannot provide all the nutrients a baby needs for the brain and body to develop,” said Zhang.
This scandal came two months after a fake milk formula scandal in the central province of Hunan.
The parents of five children contacted Yongxing county’s market supervision authority that their babies developed swollen heads, rickets and eczema, and suffered dramatic weight loss after drinking the formula.
The store selling the drink was later fined 2 million yuan (US$287,000) and two local officials were removed.
China investigates claims babies sickened by fake milk formula
Food safety, especially the safety of baby milk formula, is a sensitive issue in China.
Twelve years ago, six babies died and about 300,000 nationwide fell ill after drinking formula laced with melamine, a toxic chemical used to make plastics.
And in 2003, in Fuyang, Anhui province, 13 babies died and 171 required medical treatment after being fed substandard formula.
