Surgeon killed in Gansu hospital knife attack

Police in Northwestern Gansu province are looking into allegations that a proctology patient killed his female surgeon Tuesday with a knife in a hospital.

The suspect, only identified as Yang, attacked the 42-year-old doctor with a knife at Gansu Provincial Hospital in Lanzhou. The victim, surnamed Feng, died despite rescue efforts according to a police statement posted on Sina Weibo, the micro-blogging service.

Initial investigations showed Yang, 54, had a surgery at the hospital, and Feng was the surgeon in charge.

The hospital has not suspended operations, though it has increased its security, a publicity official at the hospital told thepaper, an online news outlet.

Hospital authorities have spared no effort to comfort panicked staff members as well as the victim's family, the official said.

Another doctor at the hospital was injured by a knife-wielding patient in a separate case last year.