Beijing, Dec 22 (IANS): A dozen doctors in China's Shaanxi province received administrative punishment after clicking group "selfies" next to a patient undergoing surgery, an official said Monday.

Three of the doctors displayed in the photos have had their administrative posts removed and the others were given administrative warnings, the health bureau in Xi'an city said.

The photos were widely circulated on WeChat, China's popular social networking app, sparking public anger, Xinhua reported.

The selfies show the doctors smiling and posing in front of an unconscious patient lying on the operating table.

According to the bureau's investigation, the photos were taken Aug 15 this year in the old surgery room of Fengcheng Hospital in Xi'an.

The doctors clicked the photos as a keepsake of the last surgery held in the old operating room.

The bureau also dealt administrative punishments to the directors of the hospital and imposed fines.