A man accused of stabbing a doctor to death and wounding two others at a hospital in East China's Zhejiang Province in October 2013 stood trial on Wednesday.

Lian Enqing, 33, was accused of intentional homicide at the Intermediate People's Court in Taizhou.

Lian stabbed the doctors on October 25, 2013 in the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Department of the No.1 People's Hospital in Wenling because he was angry with the results of a previous nasal surgery.

Wang Yunjie, a doctor in the department, died in the assault. Another doctor was seriously injured and a third suffered minor injuries in the attack.

Lian felt displeased with his nose and claimed to be suffering respiratory problems and discomfort after surgery on his nose in March 2013, according to his sister Lian Qiao.

While the hospital confirmed that the surgery was successful, Lian felt he was being cheated by the doctors, Liao Qiao said.

According to his sister, from August to October 15 last year, Lian was under treatment at the Shanghai Mental Health Center, diagnosed with persistent delusional disorder.

Lian was conscious of his crime and had the capacity for criminal responsibility, according to the prosecutors.

Lian confessed at the trial, claiming not to have any mental health problems, but said he still doubts the success of the surgery. The court will announce the verdict later.

Hundreds of doctors organized a protest three days later in the hospital to mourn their colleague, and to ask for a policy guarantee of "zero tolerance" toward medical violence.

However, a post later surfaced online and said Lian's nearly paranoid pursuit of a surgery failure was because he suffered from Empty Nose Syndrome (ENS) - a rare condition which can cause extreme pain, but is difficult to diagnose.

According to an academic study published in the European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases in April 2012, ENS is a rare complication of nose surgery. It can lead to chronic dryness of the nasal cavity.

An ENT specialist surnamed Yu from the First Hospital of Jilin University told the Global Times earlier that ENS was first mentioned in 1994. It is caused by surgery, but the physiopathology remains unclear.

Xinhua - Global Times