Twenty patients were infected with Hepatitis C during hemodialysis treatment at two hospitals in Shanxi province, the Ministry of Health said on Monday.

The infected patients are among 47 people who received hemodialysis at the Taiyuan Public Transportation Company's hospital and the Shanxi Coalmine Central Hospital, between December and January.

The heads of the two hospitals were held under investigation and those directly responsible for the incident were removed from their posts, Xinhua News Agency quoted the ministry's circular as saying.