A self-proclaimed Chinese health therapist who was found to have faked his medical qualifications continues to run his business despite widespread media coverage of his fraudulence.
Liu Fengjun, 58, who established the Dadaotang Health Research Institute in 1993, faked his identity as a professor at a medical school that does not exist, China Central Television reported Wednesday.
A member of staff at the institute told the Global Times Thursday that their business was continuing and appointments for the week were already fully booked.
According to the CCTV report, Liu receives patients only on Saturday mornings, when he usually meets more than 300 patients in four hours. Most patients are encouraged to buy a medicine produced by the institute that claims to cure multiple diseases, where they spend hundreds and even thousands of yuan on the medicine.
The staff member said that the CCTV report had little impact on their business, and said that he believes there are still many people who continue to choose their effective products.
Many people claiming to be patients gathered at the institute to support the business Thursday, saying the treatment was effective, Beijing-based Legal Evening News reporterd.
Several health-related fraud cases were reported this year.
Zhang Hude, a professor at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine told the Global Times that a craze for boosting health had allowed fake health experts to cash in, and called for government agencies to implement supervision over the industry.
