Prosecutors in Taiwan have charged five people over letting medical device salespeople take part in surgeries, a hit to patient trust in private hospitals.

• The head and deputy head of Kaohsiung's Botian International Hospital were indicted along with three device company staff.
• Sales reps with no medical licence allegedly held positioning tools, steadied pins in patients, and mixed bone cement during operations.
• The cases cover spinal disc surgery, bone cement injection, and a full knee replacement carried out over the past two years.
• Prosecutors say hospitals brought in advanced equipment but handed core medical work to outsiders to save money and effort.

Outlook: The case heads to court and is likely to bring tighter scrutiny of device vendors inside Taiwanese operating rooms.