China's Ministry of Public Security has promised a zero tolerance approach to violence and other crimes that target medical staff.
A ministry circular on Thursday said police will help hospitals resolve disputes between doctors and patients and improve security in hospitals, after a number of violent episodes between doctors and patients over the past few months, some of which led to the deaths of medical staff.
According to a survey by the Chinese Hospital Association from December 2012 to July 2013, violence against medical staff is on the rise. The annual average number of assaults on doctors per hospital increased from 20.6 in 2008 to 27.3 in 2012, the survey found after polling staff and patients at 316 hospitals.
Unsatisfactory treatment, poor communication between patients and doctors, distorted media reports and high medical costs were blamed, while social conflict, loss of trust and unbalanced demand and supply of medical resources underlie the rise in violence, according to the survey.
On October 25, doctor Wang Yunjie was killed and two others injured by a dissatisfied patient at the First People's Hospital in Wenling, East China's Zhejiang Province.
The suspect, Lian Enqing, 33, was subdued in the hospital by security staff after assaulting Wang and two other doctors. Lian is in detention.
Police said the suspect had been a patient of another doctor in the hospital and he had been unhappy with the results of a minor nose operation.
The killing stirred outrage among medical staff in the city. About 100 medical workers demonstrated on Monday holding signs that read, "protecting the safety of medical staff."
More than 1,000 people attended Wang's funeral on Thursday.
Rows of wreaths were displayed at the memorial hall in the funeral home on Thursday as mourners wept over the death of the well-respected doctor, who died at the age of 47. The mourners included Wang's colleagues as well as patients.
Nurses at Wang's hospital took off their caps as a show of respect on Thursday morning during their break.
Xinhua