Baby stealing obstetrician on trial

The case of an obstetrician accused of trafficking seven babies, one of whom died, went before a court in northwest China's Shaanxi province on Monday.

Zhang Shuxia, a doctor with Fuping County Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, is accused of selling seven babies to human traffickers after persuading their parents to give up their "sick" newborns.

On July 20, a mother Dong suspected her baby had been abducted and reported the incident to police. Zhang is accused of falsely claiming that her child had a congenital disease, according to Weinan Intermediate People's Court. The baby was found in good condition in neighboring Henan Province on Aug. 5.

Two twin baby girls were also rescued from neighboring Shanxi Province and Shandong Province in east China on Aug. 10 after their mother Wang, complained to the police in Fuping.

Nine suspects were detained in August, including Zhang Shuxia. The hospital's president, Wang Li, two other senior hospital managers, and three county officials were dismissed over the matter.

Police have since received more reports and investigated six cases which may have involved Zhang.