Rogue acupuncturists ordered to shut down

B.C.'s College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practioners has shut down the Richmond-based practice of a pair of rogue acupuncturists accused of treating thousands of patients out of their suburban home.

In a petition filed in B.C. Supreme Court, the college claims to have seized 27 binders full of patient records dating back to 2004 from the house of Wai Cheong Chik and Jhun Jhun Lee during a raid in March.

Investigators also found more than 800 used injection ampules and boxes full of prescription-only pharmaceuticals.

The court documents say the couple's home contained a waiting room with a dozen chairs lined up against the wall, rooms containing five "acupuncture-style folding beds" and records which showed that 120 patients were seen on one day.

'Preying on members of the public'

A judge has granted the college a permanent injunction against the couple, who have also been ordered to pay the college $36,000 for their legal costs. The order was obtained by consent.

"These people are preying on members of the public and they're providing cheap, unregulated health care," said college registrar Mary Watterson.

"This is a case where we know individuals who were basically charlatans represented themselves as medical professionals."

The investigation began in February, when the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority received an anonymous complaint about someone engaging in unauthorized practice out of their residence.

The college hired a private investigator to go through garbage left on the curb outside the home, where they found evidence of medical supplies. They also conducted surveillance and observed 140 vehicles arriving and leaving the premises over a three-day period.

The petition says Chik applied to the college for registration in 2000 and Lee applied in 2001. But both were rejected after admitting to submitting "an untruthful graduation certificate and transcript" under sworn testimony.

'I cannot say how many visits there were'

According to an affidavit filed as part of the proceedings, Chik claims he studied medicine and acupuncture in China, where he worked as a doctor in a government hospital until he escaped to Canada in 1989 following the Tiananmen Square massacre.

He claims to have worked full-time six days a week as a kitchen helper at a Vancouver Thai restaurant until 2014. His wife claims to work as a storage worker and janitor in Chinatown.

"In my spare time, which was limited, I began helping friends and their friends with Chinese traditional medicine and acupuncture. As my records have been taken, I cannot say how many visits there were," he wrote.

Chik claims his father left him a "substantial inheritance" with which he was able to buy his home, which is assessed at nearly $2 million.

He says he accepted payment for half the acupuncture cases and used the proceeds to pay for treatment for the other half, which included people like seniors.

Both Chik and his wife filed T4s with the court from 2014, when Chik claims to have earned just $13,000 and Lee claims she earned $18,000.

Watterson said the college was alarmed by the number of patients involved and the length of time the unauthorized practice appears to have been in operation.

A simple check of the college's registry would have revealed that both Chik and Lee are not licensed.