Photo: Screenshot of homepage of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University

In response to the fatal stabbing of a doctor in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, the National Health Commission (NHC) issued a public statement on Saturday, vowing zero tolerance for any form of violence against medical workers, and is working with the Ministry of Public Security and other departments to strengthen the safety in hospitals, crack down on medical-related crimes, and ensure the safety of patients and healthcare workers.

At around 1 pm on Friday, an individual stabbed doctor Li Sheng at the Cardiology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University and then jumped off a building, according to local police.

Around 9 pm on Friday, the injured doctor Li died from severe injuries, the Chinese Medical Doctor Association issued an announcement on Saturday.

The NHC expressed deep condolences and sympathy to his family. Violence against medical workers is a serious crime that we strongly condemn. Such acts not only violate the legitimate rights of healthcare workers but also disrupt normal medical services, harming the interests of the general public, the NHC statement read.

Law of the People's Republic of China on Basic Medical and Health Care and the Promotion of Health stipulates that the personal safety and dignity of healthcare workers shall not be violated. No organization or individual may threaten or endanger the personal safety of healthcare workers or violate their dignity, said the statement.

The health authority, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Security and other departments, will guide local authorities to strengthen the construction of safe hospitals, crack down on medical-related crimes, and ensure the safety of patients and healthcare workers. It is essential to enhance hospital security systems, implement security measures effectively, strengthen police-medical cooperation, and protect the safety of medical staff and patients.

We call on all sectors of society to work together to protect the personal safety of healthcare workers and maintain a safe environment for seeking medical treatment, the national health authority said.

The latest case of violence against a medical worker sparked public outcry.

According to some media reports, Dr. Li is said to have been "mistakenly identified" and "mistakenly stabbed." It is said that when Dr. Li was attacked, he was so engrossed in his medical rounds that he didn't even have time to eat a meal. 

His patients and netizens alike are mourning the loss of this medical expert. 

"Dr. Li is a doctor of impeccable character and exceptional skills, a diligent and dedicated medical worker," read a typical comment from a netizen who claimed to be one of Li's patients.

On Saturday, Dr. Xu Haijun, an attending physician in the Emergency Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Tsinghua University, said on a social media platform Sina Weibo that it takes at least 10 years to fully train a doctor with good qualifications and sufficient technical competence. This level of expertise as Dr. Li in China is as rare as a panda, said Xu when paying tribute to the departure of Li.

The People's Daily said in a commentary on Saturday night that the tragic death of Dr. Li is a painful reminder that violence against medical personnel must be unequivocally condemned.

"The knife used in the attack not only harmed the doctor, but also wounded kindness," the article said. 

As the case is currently under investigation, society as a whole has a clear consensus: zero tolerance for violence, and those who commit violence against medical professionals should be severely punished according to the law in order to create a safe working environment for healthcare workers, it commented. 

No excuse can justify harming medical professionals, as they dedicate their lives to saving others. Their safety also needs to be protected, the article said, calling on the whole of society to work together to build a strong defense line and maintain order in the healthcare system.

Tensions between patients and doctors has long stirred debate about violence against medical professionals. 

Following the case that an ophthalmologist Tao Yong was stabbed in January 2020 in Beijing Chao-yang Hospital and survived after two-week treatment, some hospitals across the country were required to install metal detectors and implement security checks.

For a long time, whether hospitals should implement security checks has been a topic heatedly debated within the industry. 

Some believe that security checks are necessary when entering hospitals as hospitals should prioritize the safety of medical staff. By ensuring the safety of medical staff, the health of patients can be protected, they said. 

Others believe that measures including implementing security checks in hospitals are superficial and do not address the core issues. 

Zhuang Shilihe, a Guangzhou-based medical expert, told the Global Times on Sunday that "there will likely be more hospitals installing security gates, but I believe the actual effectiveness of these security gates may be limited."

Zhuang explained that hospitals are essentially large areas with many entrances and exits, so it is not practical to install security gates everywhere. Also, even in hospitals that have already installed security gates, most of the time the security checks are not strict. 

"Tensions between doctors and patients cannot be easily solved by security gates… Some deeper issues will take longer to resolve," Zhuang told the Global Times.