AFTER a doctor in East China was stabbed to death at work on Friday, China’s top health authority said that it has joined public security efforts to strengthen a crackdown on medical-related crimes and has urged hospitals to implement security measures. Li Sheng, a cardiologist at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, was attacked by a knife-wielding man around noon Friday when seeing patients and died that evening due to critical injuries. The man who carried out the attack jumped off the building, the hospital and police said. Police said later that the attacker was receiving treatment but have not provided any subsequent updates on his condition. The National Health Commission expressed deep condolences for Li’s death and extended its sympathies to his family in a statement released on Saturday night. The commission said it strongly condemns violence against medical personnel and pledges a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of harm to them. The commission added that hospitals should strengthen security systems, fully implement security measures and deepen collaboration with police. The incident has drawn a wave of condolences and condemnation from the public and authorities. The National Healthcare Security Administration and the Chinese Hospital Association also released statements expressing outrage at the violence and appealing for better protection of medical workers and a harmonious healthcare environment. In July 2020, Beijing’s municipal government adopted a guideline for hospital security that mandates checks at entrances and the installation of surveillance cameras inside hospitals. A guideline released by the National Health Commission in September 2021 says that public security authorities should set up police offices at major hospitals. Hospitals with a daily outpatient volume of more than 5,000 visits or more than 1,000 beds should enforce security checks at entrances to prevent visitors from bringing in knives, explosives or other dangerous items. (China Daily) | 