Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT

"We charge money based on the number of organs we checked. Since she is pregnant with twins, we doubled the fees."

A medical staff member at the Central Hospital of Taian, Shandong Province, said this when explaining why she charged double fees to a pregnant woman for a color doppler ultrasound in the hospital. It was found that the Central Hospital of Taian is only one of the several hospitals in the city that charged double fees to pregnant women carrying twins. Staff members from the Taian Price Bureau said that such a move violated relevant regulations, adding that the charge should be based on the organ of the pregnant woman being checked, which means the womb, not the number of fetuses. Yang Yongtao, a local lawyer, said that the pregnant women have the right to ask for a refund and report involved hospitals to Taian Price Bureau or Taian Administration for Industry and Commerce, which could bring punishment to the hospitals. (Source: Qilu Evening News)