Doctors are powerless to stop patients who fake illnesses so they can resell their medicine for profit, the Beijing municipal health bureau said.

Anecdotal evidence suggests there has been an increase in the number of people reselling prescription medicine as the end of year approaches and patients prepare to be reimbursed for their yearly medical costs.

But Ma Yanming, a press official from the Beijing municipal bureau of health, said there was not much that could be done.