Acupuncture clinic in Surrey shut down for allegedly selling sex
By Elaine O'Connor, The Province November 2, 2012
A Surrey acupuncturist has earned a pointed rebuke for allegedly running a bawdy house out of his acupuncture clinic.
John Hong Zou Zhang was found guilty of professional misconduct, banned from practising for three years and fined $21,500 last week by the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of B.C.
Zhang has been suspended from practising since January 2011, and his suspension will now continue until 2014, the College’s disciplinary committee ruled on Oct. 26.
The acupuncturist ran the former Hua Xia Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic in the 10100-block King George Boulevard, as well as a practice in Vancouver.
“It’s very upsetting to our practitioners,” College registrar Mary Watterson said Thursday.
“Most of our practitioners are dedicated health professionals and this sort of thing is abhorrent to them,” she said. “That’s why we are here, we want to make sure that this isn’t happening.”
The College began investigating Zhang on Jan. 11, 2011, responding to allegations he was offering the services of prostitutes at his clinic.
Their information was provided by Surrey bylaw officials who, together with Surrey RCMP, had been conducting surveillance on the clinic between October and December 2010. The city subsequently revoked his business licence.
Zhang was never criminally charged.
Surrey RCMP Sgt. Drew Grainger was involved in the surveillance operation at the time and said that investigators had even walked in on sexual activity taking place. He said the police decided to shut the business down using municipal bylaws instead of operating under the Criminal Code in order to act quickly.
“At the end of the day, the goal was to shut this business down to protect the public interest,” he said.
The officer added that massage parlours were often fronts for prostitution, but that “traditional medicine is a new spin on it.”
Watterson said the College regularly monitors websites and newspaper ads to see if any clinics are running such side businesses.
At the time of the investigation, the College stated that Zhang’s licence to practise was suspended pending the outcome as “allegations that the Registrant was illegally selling sexual services at his clinic raise serious safety concerns for patients of the clinic and members of the general public”
During the disciplinary hearings, two male customers testified that they had bought sexual services at the clinic.
A Surrey bylaw officer testified that their surveillance revealed boxes of condoms and opened wrappers, signs depicting sexual activities and a scantily clad female at the clinic.
Zhang can apply to practise again once his suspension ends but must agree to conditions on his practice, such as regular checks.
It is not the first time the College has had to discipline members for sexual offences. There have been several cases this year alone.
In February, the college found acupuncturist Zhi Li guilty of sexual misconduct for making sexual comments and touching a female patient, despite being warned earlier to have a female staff member present at all times. His licence was suspended until January 2013 and he was fined $7,400.
In April, the college disciplined Ke Qiang Cen, the owner of KK Acupuncture Clinic in Richmond, for also allegedly operating the business as a bawdy house, offering “happy endings” or prostate massages to clients, among other allegations. He was reprimanded for professional misconduct and fined $5,000, among other penalties.
And in June, Christopher Daniel Gerow, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in Comox, was suspended from practice pending the outcome of an RCMP investigation into allegations of sexual touching from two female patients.
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