Patient gets death sentence for killing doctor over nose surgery
PUBLISHED : Monday, 27 January, 2014, 1:12pm
UPDATED : Monday, 27 January, 2014, 1:12pm
Andrea Chen [email protected]
Patients at Wenling No 1 hospital, where Lian Enqing went on a murderous rampage last year. Photo: Xinhua
A patient who fatally stabbed a doctor in hospital last year was sentenced to death by a court in Zhejiang Province, state media reported.
Angered by inaction at his complaints about a nose surgery he received at the hospital, Lian Enqing carried a hammer and knife to Wenling No 1 Hospital intending to attack the doctor who performed his surgery, China Radio International quoted the ruling as saying -- but he ended up killing Wang Yunjie and injuring two others.
Lian was dissatisfied by the operation to treat rhinitis and other nasal problems, but the hospital deemed it successful, China Daily reported.
Wang was the chief of the hospital’s ear, nose and throat unit. A dispute that broke out at Wang’s mourning service prompted hundreds of the hospital’s doctors and nurses to stage a protest, calling for an end to hospital violence.
Lian was charged guilty of intentional homicide in the trial last Wednesday at the Taizhou Intermediate People’s Court.
According to the Chinese Hospital Association, hospitals across the country see an average of 27 such attacks a year. Seven doctors were killed and 28 injured in 11 attacks in 2012 alone.
When patients reach the end of the tether, they vent their anger on doctors, Wen Jianmin, the director of orthopaedics at Beijing’s Wangjing Hospital, told the South China Morning Post in an interview after the Wenling attack.
Some hospitals have stepped up security for medical staff since November. Some go as far as equipping their security guards with riot gear, pepper spray, batons and shields. Two hospitals in Shanghai also began taekwondo lessons for doctors last November.
