Two central China health officials were sacked, another official and three doctors were suspended Tuesday in the investigation into the case of a migrant worker who was denied compensation for a debilitating occupational lung disease.

The Henan Provincial Health Department issued a public criticism of the Occupational Disease Prevention (ODPI) of Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, which failed to properly diagnose the condition of Zhang Haichao.

Zhang, 28, had contracted pneumoconiosis, but the ODPI misdiagnosed the illness as tuberculosis despite earlier diagnoses by hospitals in Beijing and Zhengzhou.

The failure meant Zhang failed to receive timely treatment, the statement said.

President of the ODPI Li Lei was suspended from work and put under investigation by Zhentgzhou municipal government while the ODPI deputy president Li Guoyu sacked.

The health department suspended doctors Fan Meifang, Wang Xiaoguang and Niu Xinhua from practising in the field of pneumoconiosis, said department director Liu Xuezhou, but he did not specify how long the suspension would last.

Geng Aiping, deputy head of the health bureau of Xinmi City, under the administration of Zhengzhou, was dismissed because the bureau failed to ensure local companies organized health examinations for workers, Liu said.

Initial investigations showed Zhang was examined three times at the epidemic prevention station under the Xinmi health bureau, but the station concealed the diagnosis from Zhang, he said.

Zhang worked at the Zhengdong Wearable Material Co., Ltd, which produces silicic bricks and fireproof materials, for three years until 2007.

He was denied compensation by the company as the ODPI, which handles occupational health compensation claims, never confirmed his illness.

Zhang had to undergo a biopsy at the No.1 Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University to prove he was suffering pneumoconiosis. His plight triggered a public debate.

Zhengzhou city government organized a team of medical experts, safety supervisors and labor union staff to investigate. Experts finally diagnosed Zhang as having pneumoconiosis on Monday.

The team is still investigating the case at hospitals, the ODPI and the company, said Liu Xuezhou.

Any people found to be responsible for the case would be punished according to the law, he said.

Under Chinese law, sufferers of occupational diseases are entitled to compensation and employers should help with their treatment. Workers exposed to the risk of occupational diseases are entitled to subsidies.

Pneumoconiosis is an increasingly common lung disease among Chinese workers, especially among the young, according to the Ministry of Health.

It usually affects people working in very dusty environments, and can be fatal without proper treatment. In serious cases, the patient needs permanent care and may never be able to return to work.

(Xinhua News Agency July 29, 2009)