Chinese Healthcare Workers Protest Violence Against Doctors

by Patrik Andersson on Thursday, January 29, 2015

LUANCHUAN, Luoyang. Around midnight on January 24, a fight broke out at the People’s Hospital in Luanchuan between a doctor on duty and a drunken local resident who was accompanying a friend to the hospital. During the fight, which occurred in the inpatient area on the 15th floor, an elevator door was crashed open, causing them both to fall down the elevator shaft. The local resident died on the spot, and the doctor died later in the hospital. The Luanchuan Public Security Bureau is currently investigating the matter. The pictures show Luanchuan healthcare workers demonstrating against violence against doctors on the morning of January 24.

At 8:24am on January 24, the Luanchuan county public security bureau posted a bulletin concerning the incident on its official Tieba account: “At 00:20am on 2015 January 24, our 110 command centre received a call concerning a fight on the 15th floor of Luanchuan People’s Hospital. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered that two people had fallen down the elevator shaft, resulting in one death and one injury. Our 110 command centre promptly dispatched police officers to the scene to investigate. Our preliminary investigation revealed that, Mr Li, resident of Yuzhen village in Luanchuan, had been drinking alcohol that evening, after which he accompanied his friend to see a doctor at Luanchuan People’s Hospital. At the orthopaedics department, he got into a quarrel with Doctor He, a quarrel that escalated into a fight. During the tussle the elevator door in the inpatient area on the 15th floor was crashed open, causing them both to fall down the elevator shaft. Mr Li died on the spot, while Doctor He died later in the hospital. The incident is currently under further investigation”. The pictures show the scene of the incident.

On the morning of January 24, young relatives of the victims blocked the entrance to the hospital. In the afternoon, Luanchuan county healthcare workers also took to the streets to protest violence against doctors.

On the morning of January 24, healthcare workers took to the streets in Luanchuan to condemn violence against doctors.