China is starting a year of campaigns to stop assaults on medical workers, the National Health and Family Planning Commission announced on Friday.

The ministries of public security, justice and 9 other departments, including the commission, came together to say that people who assault medical workers and cause disturbances in hospitals will receive severe punishment.

Traders of medical registrations will also be harshly dealt with, said the announcement.

Local health authorities will improve medical services and create a network covering 75 percent of regions above county level before 2014 to solve medical disputes.