Health chief in Hubei city removed from office

Tang Zhihong, director of the health commission of Huanggang city, Hubei province, was removed from the post on Thursday night, Huanggang government said.

She was among more than 20 officials who received punishment for failing to perform their duties in the prevention and control of the coronavirus outbreak across the country.

Earlier on Thursday, people were outraged by video of Tang being unable to answer basic questions about the city's capacity to control the outbreak when asked by inspectors.

Huanggang has become the second worst hit area in Hubei since the outbreak started in Wuhan, the provincial capital. By Thursday midnight, 573 cases were confirmed, of which 12 had died.

On Wednesday, an inspection team sent by the central government inspected the city's health procedures.

When questioned by inspection officers about the number of patients that designated hospitals are able to treat for the outbreak and how many sample tests can be made daily to confirm or rule out coronavirus infections, Tang did not respond at first.

After the inspection officials pressed her for an answer, she admitted that she did not know the numbers, according to the footage.

People were outraged. Many said it is unbelievable to see Tang know so little about the epidemic during the crucial time of keeping it under control.

As the country battles the epidemic, the organization and discipline inspection departments of the Communist Party of China both called on officials and Party members to play their roles in the fight and warned that those incapable of fulfilling their duties will be punished.

The Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee said in a statement on Thursday that the performance of leaders and officials on the front line of epidemic prevention and control should be evaluated.

Officials who perform well and can shoulder heavy responsibilities should be promoted, while those who display incompetence in their current posts should be replaced, it said.

Officials who dare not take on their responsibilities or resort to deception or dereliction of duty should be punished, it said.

By Thursday, there were over 20 officials across the country who were held accountable for failing to prevent and control the epidemic.

Five officials in Hebei province were punished for failing to fulfill their duties in disease prevention, the discipline inspection agency of Hebei said in a statement on Thursday.

Among the five, Dong Bosen, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Handan of Hebei, and Cai Zhongcang, the Party chief of a village in Baoding in the province who was found playing mahjong with villagers, were removed from the office.