Chinese doctor needs surgery to save hand after hospital knife attack
- Ophthalmologist at Beijing hospital wounded by relative of patient during consultation, reports say
- Two medical colleagues and member of public also hurt
A man was detained after three medical staff and a member of the public were wounded in a knife attack a Beijing hospital that left a doctor needing surgery to save one of his hands.
A 36-year-old man surnamed Cui assaulted the doctor at Chaoyang district hospital at about 2pm on Monday, according to a police report on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like network. Cui was detained and questioned, while medical staff and the visitor were treated for their injuries.
Their lives were not in danger, police said, but a source told the Caixin news website that a doctor named Tao Yong, head of the ophthalmology department, needed surgery to save one of his hands.
A witness told Beijing Daily that Tao was examining a patient on the seventh floor of the hospital when a relative of the patient hacked at the doctor several times with a vegetable chopper.
Tao ran from the room and was chased down to the sixth floor, where the attacker was caught by security staff. Two other members of staff were wounded as they tried to stop the attack, while the woman, who was taking her child for treatment, was hurt.
Caixin reported that Tao had several cuts on his head, and had suffered nerve damage to one of his hands that needed surgery.