警方加强医院安全保障

According to the announcement, those who carry illegal flammable materials, explosives or other controlled items into hospitals, as well as those who insult or threaten medical staff, will be held legally accountable.

Those who burn offerings, set up funeral tables or wreaths or place dead bodies outside the morgue will also be punished.

Professor Hong Daode of China University of Political Science and Law says these behaviors violate the Security Management and Punishment Law.

"Organizations and individuals will be prevented from engaging in any activity that disrupts the operation of medical institutions, encroaches on patients' rights, jeopardizes medical workers' safety or damages medical institutions' property."

Sun Yang, a senior officer from the Ministry of Health, says the announcement protects the rights of both the medical workers and the patients.

"Medical institutions are the places where lives are saved. Therefore, it's important to maintain security and order in hospitals. After all, this announcement aims to protect people's right to medical treatment."

The statement is part of an effort to better maintain order in hospitals and other medical institutions following a series of violent attacks on medical workers in recent months.

On March 23, an 18-year-old man stabbed a doctor to death and wounded three others in a hospital in Harbin, capital city of Heilongjiang Province. There is growing concern that medical disputes have been escalating, endangering medical workers.

Industry insiders point out that the disputes between doctors and patients are caused by various complicated issues. Beefing up hospital security is only a temporary solution. Sun Yang believes that the permanent cure is medical reform.

"The basic solution is to eliminate these unreasonable actions through medical reform. The Ministry of Health has launched a nationwide campaign, requiring medical workers to provide better service and strong medical ethics in order to satisfy patients."

The announcement also requires hospitals to set up a window to handle complaints from patients.

Experts suggest that health authorities introduce a third-party medical dispute mediation authority and liability insurance.

For CRI, I'm Wang Xiao.