A prescription for danger

Frontline medical staff at risk of being attacked and even killed by patients, report Yang Wanli, Peng Yining and Tang Yue in Beijing.

Doctor Wang Yunjie died in the hospital where he had worked for 23 years, the latest victim in a spate of violent attacks on medical workers.

The 49-year-old died on Oct 25 after being attacked by a patient who was unhappy with the result of an operation Wang had performed on his nose. The patient stabbed Wang with a 30-centimeter knife, causing severe chest injuries. Two other doctors were also badly injured in the attack in Wenling, Zhejiang province.