Zhang Wenkang

Zhang Wenkang (born 1940) served as Minister of Health of the People's Republic of China from 1998 to 2003. During the SARS outbreak, he publicly denied at a press conference on 3 April 2003 that Beijing faced a serious epidemic, stating that China was fully capable of controlling SARS — a statement widely regarded as a serious misrepresentation of the situation. Following disclosure by military doctor Jiang Yanyong's whistleblower letter, Zhang was dismissed on 20 April 2003 alongside Beijing Mayor Meng Xuenong, making him the most senior official held accountable during the SARS crisis. He did not hold any significant public office thereafter.