Kaohsiung: Weight-loss doctor Wang Ming-yu has been indicted for allegedly defrauding 424 patients out of a total of NT$18.02 million (US$570,000) by charging for a surgical device that prosecutors said was never used during their procedures. The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office stated that Wang faces charges including fraud, document forgery, and violations of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act and the Medical Devices Act.
According to Focus Taiwan, the indictment revealed that Wang was appointed vice president of Antai Hospital in Kaohsiung in 2025 and oversaw gastrointestinal surgery at the hospital, primarily conducting weight-loss procedures since December 2024. Prosecutors allege that Wang purchased medical devices used for open abdominal surgery for over NT$450,000 last year without obtaining approval from central health authorities. Additionally, he allegedly acquired five boxes of laparoscopic equipment from a Chinese company for over NT$200,000 during the same period.
Prosecutors claimed that Wang informed 424 patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric reduction combined with intestinal bypass surgery that they would need to pay an additional NT$42,500 for a disposable wireless ultrasonic surgical device, known as "Maxima," if required for their procedures. Wang allegedly ensured the device was listed as a self-paid medical supply in consent forms and communicated to the hospital that it would be used during surgery, leading the hospital to incorporate the item into its medical billing system.
However, investigators found no evidence suggesting that the wireless ultrasonic device had actually been utilized in the patients' surgeries. Consequently, prosecutors concluded that the 424 patients were charged for the device despite its non-usage, resulting in approximately NT$18.02 million in proceeds based on the NT$42,500 charge per patient.
Prosecutors asserted that Wang exploited patients' eagerness to lose weight and their trust in medical professionals to persuade them to sign the self-paid medical supply consent forms. The prosecutors' office has requested the court to impose a heavier sentence, citing the number of alleged fraud offenses and Wang's exploitation of patients seeking medical treatment.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare revoked Wang's medical license in September 2025. He is also under separate investigation in connection with the deaths of two patients who underwent weight-loss surgery at Antai Hospital, a case that remains under investigation.