Beijing to strengthen hospital security after stabbing

The capital's health commission will introduce a more effective mechanism to protect medical workers after a fatal stabbing at a Beijing hospital triggered a public outcry last week.

"We will further strengthen a joint response mechanism with public security organs to tackle medical disputes and incidents involving violence," the Beijing Municipal Health Commission said in a statement released on Tuesday. "We strongly condemn the extreme behavior and brutal acts that the attacker committed."

Yang Wen, a doctor who worked in the emergency department at Civil Aviation General Hospital in Beijing's Chaoyang district, was allegedly stabbed by a man believed to be a patient's relative, Sun Wenbin, on Dec 24.

Despite rescue efforts from a team of medical experts from several top Beijing hospitals organized by the city's health commission, Yang, who sustained serious neck wounds, died early the following day.

Sun, 55, was detained and formally arrested three days later for further investigation, Beijing police said.

In the statement, the capital's health commission expressed sincere condolences to the doctor's relatives.

The commission will ask local legislative bodies to research legislation on hospital security and urged district-level medical institutions to strengthen their security forces and ensure safety, the statement said.

It said the commission will strictly crack down on criminal acts, such as assaults, disturbing order and provocations, and handle disputes according to law.

It also stipulated that medical organizations should cooperate with local public security departments to establish police stations.

China's top legislature and health commission also condemned the stabbing on Saturday, calling it a serious offense rather than a medical dispute.

China introduced a new law on Saturday to protect medical workers from violence and to protect their personal safety and dignity.

It bans illegal acts targeting medical staff and institutions, and said those disturbing the medical environment, threatening or harming medical staff's personal safety and infringing on their dignity, or illegally obtaining, using or disclosing citizen's personal health information, will be in violation of public security regulations and will be given administrative punishments, such as detentions or fines.

The law will take effect on June 1.

The Chinese Medical Doctor Association said earlier that hospitals should strengthen security checks to better protect medical staff and patients to reduce the chances of conflict because medical disputes often occur randomly and are hard to predict.