On September 22nd, a bloodshed incident occurred at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. The hospital’s chief orthopedic doctor was stabbed more than a dozen times, affecting accompanying resident doctors. The swift deletion of posts on mainland social media platforms sparked public dissatisfaction.
According to a student from Guangdong University of Chinese Medicine’s First Affiliated Hospital who spoke to Epoch Times reporters, “The chief orthopedic doctor at Guangdong University of Chinese Medicine’s hospital is also our school’s teacher, Wang Haibin. He was stabbed over twenty times by a patient, and his condition is currently unknown. Two students who were with him during the consultation also got injured.” The student added that this teacher has a good personality.
A healthcare worker at the hospital confirmed to Epoch Times reporters, “The orthopedic doctor at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong University of Chinese Medicine was intentionally attacked by a patient this morning, stabbed more than ten times. The resident students were also injured, but the doctor is still undergoing treatment, while the students’ injuries are expected to be less severe.”
The incident reportedly stemmed from a patient’s dissatisfaction with the post-surgery results, which has been kept under wraps.
Following the release of the news, many healthcare workers and medical school students expressed discontent and discussions, especially after the rapid deletion of information on social media platforms.
Information provided by interviewees revealed that posts written by doctors at the hospital that were later deleted indicated a terrifying scene where the patient locked the door upon entering and started attacking the doctor, injuring the doctor, a undergraduate student, a graduate student, and a patient in the consultation room.
The doctor emphasized that this was intentional murder and should not be downplayed as a mere scuffle. Healthcare workers face more danger in hospitals than ordinary people on the streets. Despite not personally knowing the chief doctor, the healthcare worker highlighted positive feedback about the doctor’s character and research capabilities. The healthcare environment in China is lamentably complex.
Some informed doctors in the comment section disclosed that the original posts revealing the incident were swiftly removed, along with thousands of related comments on social media.
Moreover, there are reports circulating online suggesting that a patient, when seeking treatment at another hospital in Nanjing, was advised that a previous doctor’s incompetence led to the patient’s retaliatory violence.
This incident adds to a concerning trend of violence against medical professionals in China. In a similar case on April 28th, a man wielding a knife attacked six healthcare workers at a hospital in Tianjin, resulting in two deaths and one severe injury. On the same day in Nanjing, the director of Gulou Hospital was also injured in an attack.
Dr. Jonath Liu, a professor at a Canadian Chinese Medicine University, analyzed the surge in doctor-patient conflicts and medical violence in China, attributing it to various complex factors. The strained doctor-patient relationship amid economic downturns, financial burdens on patients affecting treatment, and disputes over medical efficacy are contributing elements.
Dr. Liu emphasized that doctors being victims in such incidents result from various societal factors, such as declining moral standards and compromised medical ethics. Further investigation is needed to fully understand the circumstances surrounding such events and to address the issues at hand.