Seventeen investigated after nearly 250 children poisoned by lead in their food
The individuals "under disciplinary investigation" includes the head of a local hospital, while 10 government officials have also been held "accountable".
It comes after a scandal involving Heshi Peixin kindergarten in Maiji, northwestern China, emerged earlier this month.
Police said staff at the private kindergarten had been adding paint powder to food in an apparent bid to make it look more appealing.
Testing showed 247 out of 251 of the kindergarten's children and 28 members of staff had "abnormal blood levels".
A further five children who finished attending the kindergarten in 2024 also recorded abnormal levels of lead in their blood, according to investigators.
A Sky News team in Maiji reported how the local hospital had been accused of returning tests for lead showing much lower levels than at the bigger hospitals.
Investigators have now found the management of the Second People's Hospital of Tianshui was "chaotic" and its laboratory department had been illegally modifying the results of the blood lead tests.
The head of the hospital is one of the 17 people facing disciplinary investigation.
Sky News was told how one child was found to have lead in her blood at 38 times the normal level.
Lead poisoning at high levels can cause long term injuries to the brain and the central nervous system.
A mother who lived near the kindergarten said: "Now if people send children to primary school, the first thing they ask is are you safe?
"Can it guarantee the personal safety of our children in the future?"
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Striking doctor called off picket line to treat ‘very sick' babies
The hospital ward where the leader of the British Medical Association works has had to call a striking doctor off the picket line because babies' lives were at risk. Nottingham City Hospital has reached an agreement with the BMA that a doctor can be exempted from strikes to work on the neonatal intensive care unit this weekend because the strike meant the ward did not have enough doctors to look after 'very sick babies'. Dr Melissa Ryan, co-chair of the BMA's resident doctors' committee, is a trainee paediatrician who usually works on the wards in the Nottingham hospital. Alongside Dr Ross Nieuwoudt she has led the BMA into the five-day strike, which began at 7am today, in pursuit of a 29 per cent pay rise. Ryan has not been called back to work. She is 130 miles away in London, helping to lead demands for higher pay on a picket line outside St Thomas' Hospital in Westminster. The NHS has encouraged hospitals to seek 'derogations', where resident doctors are required to work if patient safety is at risk . Derogations must be agreed with local BMA leaders on a case-by-case basis. Speaking to The Times from the picket line on Friday morning, Ryan said: 'I do know that we've granted a derogation already. It is actually at my work, with the babies on one of the neonatal units I work on. That is because it is an intensive care unit for babies. We've recently expanded it. 'We don't have enough senior staff to cover the doctors that aren't there, the residents. And actually, it is important to us that those very sick babies get a lot of care. So we have granted a resident doctor to go back.' Ryan joined a group of about 30 junior doctors on the picket line at St Thomas' who chanted: 'What do we want? Full pay restoration. When do we want it? Now. How are we going to get it? Striking.' The derogation for the neonatal intensive care ward in Nottingham is the first to have been agreed so far during the latest strike. The BMA said: 'We have agreed a derogation at City Hospital, Nottingham, for one resident doctor to support [the neonatal intensive care unit] on Saturday and Sunday. If contacted, we advise resident doctors to return to work. Thank you for your support for taking industrial action.' Up to 50,000 resident doctors — formerly known as junior doctors — have joined the strike around England, which will run until 7am on Wednesday. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said 'we are doing everything we can to minimise' patient harm and accused the BMA of trying to 'hold the country to ransom'. Asked about the risk of patient harm, he said: 'I'm really proud of the way that NHS leaders and frontline staff have prepared and mobilised to minimise the disruption and minimise the risk of harm to patients. We've seen an extraordinary response, including people cancelling their leave, turning up for work and resident doctors themselves ignoring their union to be there for patients. I'm extremely grateful to all of them. 'What I can't do today is guarantee that there will be no disruption and that there is no risk of harm to patients. We are doing everything we can to minimise it, but the risk is there, and that is why the BMA's action is so irresponsible. 'They had a 28.9 per cent pay award from this government in our first year, there was also an offer to work with them on other things that affect resident doctors' working lives, and that's why I think this is such reckless action. This government will not allow the BMA to hold the country to ransom and we will continue to make progress on NHS improvement, as we've done in our first year.' Sir Jim Mackey, the chief executive of NHS England, had told trust leaders to maintain more routine care during the strikes this year, including by seeking more 'derogations'. He has also asked hospitals to limit resident doctors' ability to work locum shifts during the strike and earn money that way.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Striking doctors accuse Wes Streeting of a 'slap in the face' of trade unions
Angry doctors on picket lines demand Government increases their pay but Health Secretary Wes Streeting refuses to budge on 'unnecessary, reckless strike action' Thousands of doctors are out on strike today in a bitter pay dispute with the Government. Resident doctors across England are walking out for five days, demanding Labour commits to pay 'restoration', after over a decade of below-inflation deals under previous Tory governments. The British Medical Association has organised main regional picket lines for around 50,00 striking doctors at NHS sites in the North East, North West, Midlands, east of England and across the South. Dr Kelly Johnson told of her anger at Health Secretary Wes Streeting's opposition to the strikes. Speaking outside St Thomas' Hospital in London where she works, she said: "Every union has the right to strike. It feels like a slap in the face to say that we are doing something that is unjust. Just because we're doctors doesn't mean we can't come out and strike and protest for what we think is right." Speaking outside Leeds General Infirmary, paediatrics registrar Cristina Costache said: "Reducing the waiting list is a really good target but you're going to reduce the waiting list if you increase the numbers of posts, if you give better pay so the jobs don't leave for another country." Dr Ben Cowdry, posted on social media site X the crab emoji which has been adopted by a faction of resident doctors to represent not taking a backward step in their industrial dispute. He said: Today's picket at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. £22.67/hr is not an unreasonable ask. Doctors have subsidised the NHS for far too long. Perhaps Wes Streeting needs reminding that the power to stop these strikes lies squarely with the government.' Picket lines are being staged at Manchester Royal Infirmary, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Southampton General Hospital, Leeds General Infirmary, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Hull Royal Infirmary, Bristol Royal Infirmary and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The BMA points to pay erosion since 2008 saying real terms salaries are down 20% since then according to the Retail Price Index measure of inflation. The Government's preferred measure of inflation, the Consumer Price Index, shows average resident doctor salaries down 5% since 2008 but ministers point out they have been increasing in real terms in recent years. The latest deal for 2025/26 consisted of a 4% uplift plus £750 "on a consolidated basis" - working out as an average rise of 5.4%, before inflation. Speaking outside the Bristol Royal Infirmary, Dr Fareed Al-Qusous, 26, said: "But the most recent pay uplift represents a 1% real terms uplift. At that rate it would take roughly 20 years to restore a 21% pay erosion. Wes Streeting said that pay restoration is a journey - we're willing to take him on that journey, but that journey is far beyond the lifespan of this Government. Dr Al-Qusous added: "'The power to stop these strikes lies squarely with this Government'. That is a direct quote from Wes Streeting when he was the shadow health secretary in 2022. That same logic and that responsibility lies with him at the moment. All he has to do is negotiate with us on pay. It doesn't have to be all in one year, it can be split over several years. We're asking for our pay to be restored. Our pay demands are only so high because our pay erosion has been so severe." Health Secretary Wes Streeting says doctors have received a 29% pay increase over the last three years, before inflation. This is because after Labour came to power it settled a dispute it inherited from the previous Tory government with a pay deal worth 22.3% on average over two years. However this covered a period of high inflation following the chaos of the short-lived Liz Truss government. Mr Streeting has insisted the 5.4% they received for 2025/26 is the highest in the public sector and all the Government can afford right now. The Royal College of Nursing is balloting its members over a 3.6% pay award. Mr Streeting said: "I'm really proud of the way that NHS leaders and frontline staff have prepared and mobilised to minimise the disruption and minimise the risk of harm to patients. We've seen an extraordinary response, including people cancelling their leave, turning up for work, and resident doctors themselves ignoring their union to be there for patients. I'm extremely grateful to all of them. "What I can't do today is guarantee that there will be no disruption and that there is no risk of harm to patients. We are doing everything we can to minimise it, but the risk is there, and that is why the BMA's action is so irresponsible. "They had a 28.9% pay award from this Government in our first year, there was also an offer to work with them on other things that affect resident doctors - working lives - and that's why I think this is such reckless action. "This Government will not allow the BMA to hold the country to ransom, and we will continue to make progress on NHS improvement, as we've done in our first year." It comes after NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. Asked about next steps and the continued threat of doctor strikes, given the BMA has a six-month mandate to call more industrial action, Mr Streeting said: "When the BMA asks, 'what's the difference between a Labour government and a Conservative government?', I would say a 28.9% pay rise and a willingness to work together to improve the working conditions and lives of doctors. That is why the public and other NHS staff cannot understand why the BMA have chosen to embark on this totally unnecessary, reckless strike action.." It comes as NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters on Friday about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. Other NHS sites where striking doctors are gathering are the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge. Melissa Ryan, co-chair of the BMA's resident doctor's committee, said she and other medics regularly receive job offers from hospitals Down Under. Ryan, a paediatric trainee working in Nottingham, told the Mirror: ' Australia sends me messages on social media saying 'come and work for us — we'd pay you better, you'd work less hours and the weather is better.' We have had new doctors, coming through, make those choices to leave because it's very stressful in the NHS but also because our pay is just not competitive and it's a global market for doctors.' Ryan, 45, continued: 'The problem is it's the patients who will miss out — we're already short staffed, we can't afford to lose a single more doctor to oversees work. What we need is for the Government to recognise the value of doctors, to reverse our pay erosion, actually come and talk and give us an offer and then I wouldn't need to be out here on strike, I could be back at work.' NHS leaders are urging the public to keep coming forward for care during five-day walkout and to turn up for appointments unless informed it has been cancelled. Charities warn industrial action will inevitably lead to cancellations in treatment and negatively impact patients, particularly those with less survivable cancers like lung, liver, and brain cancer. One person posted on social media site X - formerly Twitter - told how his elderly mum's appointment for today had been postponed He said: 'She's been waiting 18 months in agony and unable to walk. Is it in your code of ethics for her to be lying in pain until the new appt in February? I'd sack the lot of you… I tell you what if you don't like it go and get another job, stop being so cruel to people in desperate need of help, who have no quality of life while waiting for care.' It comes on the day other NHS workers followed resident doctors in rejecting the Government's pay deal, in a move that could lead to strikes further down the line. The GMB union said its thousands of health workers, including ambulance crews, voted by 67% against the 3.6% pay award offered for 2025/26 in England. It has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for an urgent meeting. Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, added: "We await his reply with interest." The GMB represents about 50,000 health workers including 20,000 in the ambulance service.
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Starmer issues last-ditch appeal as thousands of doctors strike
Thousands of resident doctors have begun a five-day strike after talks with the Government collapsed over pay. Resident doctors are taking to picket lines across England on Friday in a move which is expected to disrupt patient care. Members of the public have been urged to come forward for NHS care during the walkout, and are being asked to attend appointments unless told they are cancelled. GP surgeries will open as usual and urgent care and A&E will continue to be available, alongside NHS 111, NHS England said. Sir Keir Starmer made a last-minute appeal to resident doctors, saying the strikes would 'cause real damage'. 'The route the BMA Resident Doctors Committee have chosen will mean everyone loses. My appeal to resident doctors is this: do not follow the BMA leadership down this damaging road. Our NHS and your patients need you,' he wrote in The Times. He added: 'Most people do not support these strikes. They know they will cause real damage.' 'Behind the headlines are the patients whose lives will be blighted by this decision. The frustration and disappointment of necessary treatment delayed. And worse, late diagnoses and care that risks their long-term health. 'It's not fair on patients. It's not fair on NHS staff who will have to step in for cover for those taking action. And it is not fair on taxpayers. 'These strikes threaten to turn back the clock on progress we have made in rebuilding the NHS over the last year, choking off the recovery.' It comes after Wes Streeting sent a personal letter to NHS resident doctors, saying: 'I deeply regret the position we now find ourselves in.' The Health Secretary said while he cannot pledge a bigger pay rise, he has been committed to progress to improve doctors' working lives. He also said he does not now believe the British Medical Association's resident doctors committee (RDC) has 'engaged with me in good faith' over bids to avert the strike. In the letter sent on Thursday afternoon to resident doctors, Mr Streeting said: 'I wanted to write to you personally about the situation we find ourselves in. 'This Government came into office, just over a year ago, with a great deal of sympathy for the arguments that resident doctors were making about pay, working conditions and career progression. 'I was determined to build a genuine partnership with the… RDC to make real improvements on all three fronts. 'We have made progress together. While some of my critics in Parliament and the media believe I was naive to agree such a generous pay deal to end the strikes last year, I stand by that choice.' Mr Streeting said resident doctors have now had an average 28.9% pay award under Labour. He added: 'Strike action should always be a last resort – not the action you take immediately following a 28.9% pay award from a Government that is committed to working with you to further improve your lives at work. 'While I've been honest with the BMA RDC that we cannot afford to go further on pay this year, I was prepared to negotiate on areas related to your conditions at work and career progression, including measures that would put money back in the pockets of resident doctors.' Mr Streeting said that based on talks with the BMA aimed at averting strikes, he had been determined to tackle the 'arduous' training pathway, and 'I made it clear that I was prepared to agree actions to reduce the costs you face as a result of training'. He said he had also been looking at the cost of equipment, food and drink, and 'was prepared to explore how many further training posts could be created – additional to the 1,000 already announced – as early as possible'. Mr Streeting said talks had been progressing but 'I no longer believe that they (RDC) have engaged with me in good faith'. The Health Secretary continued: 'I deeply regret the position we now find ourselves in. 'The public, and I am sure many of you, do not understand the rush to strike action.' Mr Streeting later said there is 'no getting around the fact that these strikes will hit the progress we are making in turning the NHS around'. He added: 'But I am determined to keep disruption to patients at a minimum and continue with the recovery we have begun delivering in the last 12 months after a decade-and-a-half of neglect. We will not be knocked off course.' Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Streeting said: 'The BMA's leadership, who I believe are badly letting down both their members and the health service, will find that the costs of the strikes are that they now have a Secretary of State who has both less appetite and less ability to work with them on the kind of measures we were having constructive discussions about last week that would materially improve the working lives of resident doctors and leave them with more money in their pockets.' Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, told the PA news agency health staff will be working 'flat out' to see as many patients as they can during the strike, after NHS England made clear it wants as much pre-planned care as possible to continue. He said: 'Striking doctors should think carefully if they are really doing the right thing for patients, for the NHS and for themselves… 'The strike will throttle hard-won progress to cut waiting lists, but NHS trust leaders and staff will be working flat out to see that as many patients as possible get the care they need.' It is understood that NHS chief Sir Jim Mackey had told trust leaders to try to crack down on resident doctors' ability to work locum shifts during the strike and earn money that way. Leaders have also been encouraged to seek 'derogations', where resident doctors are required to work during the strikes, in more circumstances, the Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported. Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said: 'These strikes were not inevitable – the Government entered negotiations with the BMA in good faith… 'The impact of these strikes and the distress they will cause patients rests with the BMA.' The BMA has argued that real-terms pay has fallen by around 20% since 2008, and is pushing for full 'pay restoration'. The union is taking out national newspaper adverts on Friday, saying it wants to 'lay bare the significant pay difference between a resident doctor and their non-medically qualified assistants'. It said the adverts 'make clear that while a newly qualified doctor's assistant is taking home over £24 per hour, a newly qualified doctor with years of medical school experience is on just £18.62 per hour'. RDC co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said in a statement: 'Pay erosion has now got to the point where a doctor's assistant can be paid up to 30% more than a resident doctor. 'That's going to strike most of the public that use the NHS as deeply unfair. 'Resident doctors are not worth less than they were 17 years ago, but unfortunately they've seen their pay erode by more than 21% in the last two decades. 'We're not working 21% less hard so why should our pay suffer? 'We're asking for an extra £4 per hour to restore our pay. It's a small price to pay for those who may hold your life in their hands.' The statement said Mr Streeting had had every opportunity to prevent the strike, but added: 'We want these strikes to be the last we ever have to participate in. 'We are asking Mr Streeting to get back around the table with a serious proposal as soon as possible – this time with the intent to bring this to a just conclusion.' Resident doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training. They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years of working and gaining experience to become a GP. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the framing of the BMA advertising campaign was 'disingenuous'. 'Given their repeated use of debunked ways of measuring inflation to overstate their pay claims, it follows a pattern of deliberately misleading calculations from the BMA,' a spokesperson said. 'The average annual earnings per first year resident doctor last year was £43,275. That is significantly more, in a resident doctor's first year, than the average full-time worker in this country earns. 'Resident doctors in their second year earned an average of £52,300 last year and at the top end of the scale, resident doctors in specialty training earned an average almost £75,000 – this is set to increase further with this year's pay award.' The Conservatives accused Labour of having 'opened the door' to fresh strikes with a 'spineless surrender to union demands last year'. Shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew said: 'They handed out inflation-busting pay rises without reform, and now the BMA are back for more. 'They are disrupting care, ignoring patients and gambling with lives. 'This is a betrayal of the NHS and those who rely on it. 'The public deserves hospitals where the doctors are on the frontline rather than the picket line. 'But every day Labour refuses to stand up to union overreach, Britain moves closer to a health service run on the unions' terms rather than the patients'.'
