Secretly Sold at High Prices... The Identity of the Plastic Bags Illegally Taken by a Chinese Obstetrician

A Chinese Obstetrician Secretly Steals Suspected Placenta Medical Waste
Concerns Rise Over Ongoing Trade and Consumption of Human Placentas in China

A video showing a Chinese obstetrician secretly stealing medical waste suspected to be a mother's placenta has been released, causing shock. Concerns have been raised within China that the consumption and trade of human placentas may still be happening covertly.

According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post on the 6th, a video secretly filmed at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Guizhou Province was recently posted on Chinese social networking services (SNS) on the 31st of last month.

Screenshot of the Hong Kong South China Morning Post homepage.

The video showed a doctor wearing a green surgical gown carrying a plastic bag containing objects suspected to be blood and other human-derived materials from the operating room back to the office, then wrapping them again in multiple layers of black plastic bags. The identity of the doctor was not clearly confirmed.

The person who filmed the video claimed, "The doctor secretly took the placenta that the mother requested the hospital to dispose of," and added, "Disciplinary action seems necessary." According to Chinese media, the hospital dismissed the doctor. However, it was not mentioned whether the doctor had stolen placentas in the past.

Local health authorities stated that generally, placentas cannot be personally taken out of the hospital, and they are investigating after receiving reports about the content posted online. The placenta is an organ that supplies oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and antibodies from the mother to the fetus during pregnancy. After childbirth, the placenta is expelled from the body. In traditional Chinese medicine, dried human placentas have been used as a tonic for mothers or as medicinal ingredients.

Recently, it has been reported that some people believe that mothers recover better if they consume their own placentas. China banned the trade of human placentas in 2005. The Ministry of Health stated that only the mother can request the placenta from hospital staff. If the mother does not want it, the hospital must burn the placenta or bury it as medical waste.

However, Chinese netizens have questioned how hospitals handle placentas when mothers do not request them. The Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on this incident, referencing a 2021 report that human placentas are sold on the Chinese black market for 2,400 yuan (about 480,000 won) per kilogram.

It also pointed out that although Chinese authorities prohibit the trade of human placentas, they have not established punishment regulations, effectively neglecting the placenta smuggling trade. A Chinese netizen said, "Regular meat, eggs, and milk are more nutritious than placentas," adding, "I am not a cannibal, so I would never eat a human placenta."