Death row for doctor’s attacker

Tao Yong, director of the ophthalmology department of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, performs an eye operation. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

A man who injured four people in a knife attack at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital in January last year was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Tuesday for intentional homicide and deprived of his political rights for life.

Beijing No 3 Intermediate People's Court said Cui Zhenguo, 37, was resentful at ophthalmologist Tao Yong and other doctors at the hospital because his eye treatment failed to meet his expectations and took retaliatory action on Jan 20,2020.

Beijing No 3 Intermediate People's Court said Cui Zhenguo, 37, was resentful at ophthalmologist Tao Yong and other doctors at the hospital because his eye treatment failed to meet his expectations and took retaliatory action on Jan 20,2020

He attacked the back of Tao's skull and his neck with a cleaver, and then chased after him, injuring Tao's arm and three other people who tried to stop him.

The court said Cui had intended to illegally deprive others of their lives. He intentionally hacked others with a knife, causing one person serious injury, one person minor injuries and two others slight injuries.

It said Cui asked others to call the police after the attempted murder and waited at the scene, which could be regarded as giving himself up.

However, given that Cui used cruel means to chase and slash victims in a public medical place, resulting in serious consequences and an extremely bad social impact, the court did not consider his surrender sufficient grounds to give him a lenient sentence.

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Tao, a senior ophthalmologist at the hospital, is back at work but will never be able to perform eye surgeries again due to the injury to his arm.

The National Health Commission strongly condemned violent crimes targeting medical personnel late last month, after a 38-year-old cardiologist was stabbed to death.

Hu Shuyun, a cardiologist at Jishui County People's Hospital in Jiangxi province, was stabbed by a 43-year-old male suspect surnamed Zeng on Jan 26 when he was doing ward rounds. Hu died in the early hours of Jan 27 and the case is still under investigation.

In a statement issued on Jan 27, the commission called on all sectors of society to make concerted efforts to effectively protect the safety of medical personnel, maintain medical order and protect the rights and interests of doctors and patients.

A week earlier, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress deliberated on a proposal to amend the law on medical practitioners to create a safer and more stable working environment.

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The draft amendment adds the crime of disturbing the order of medical and health institutions to the list of prohibitions on obstructing doctors from carrying out diagnosis and treatment, insulting, slandering, threatening or assaulting them, infringing on doctors' personal freedom and interfering with their normal work and life.