Changjiang Hospital, based in Hongkou District, has been taken to court three times by three pregnant women it diagnosed as infertile. It escaped punitive action after settling the cases, the court said. Settlement terms were not revealed.

The hospital first hit local newspaper headlines in January after an Anhui Province couple working in Shanghai said they were cheated by Changjiang's fertility ward.

Ye Haokui and his wife, Ye Yulin, went to Changjiang Hospital in June because they thought they could not conceive a child. The hospital said both were infertile after five days of treatment and charged the couple 37,000 yuan(US$4,568).

She also took fertility drugs prescribed by Changjiang Hospital.

Much to Ye's surprise, she learned she was about one-month pregnant when seeking a second opinion at another hospital.

A Sichuan Province couple said they were also told they could not conceive a child by Changjiang Hospital doctors. The woman then learned she was already pregnant. The couple paid more than 10,000 yuan after three days of treatment and left the city because they ran out of money.

Three couples filed lawsuits in Hongkou District People's Court against the hospital.

The privately run hospital was well known in many areas across the country as it advertised its "specialized solution to infertility."

Many couples traveled to Shanghai in hopes of conceiving a child with the help of Changjiang Hospital.

Zhou Maohua, Changjiang's chief, and Huang Zhichun, the deputy chief, were removed after the scandal broke and two doctors were fired.

The Changjiang case has drawn wide attention as it highlights the difficulties in managing private hospitals.

They are free to set service fees and other charges as a for-profit entity.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)