Notice on deepening safe hospital construction to crack down on crimes against doctors and medical practice and maintain normal medical operations

(en.nhfpc.gov.cn)

Updated: 2014-09-22

NHFPC (2014) No.59

Health and family planning commissions (health bureaus); comprehensive management offices; public security departments in provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities; and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

All regions have carefully carried out deployment by the central government and the State Council since this year to maintain medical operations and build harmonious doctor-patient relations. A special campaign against crimes hurting doctors and medical practices has kicked off, which cracks down on crimes and has produced positive results. It has effectively curbed crimes against doctors and medical practices and maintained steady medical operations. However, many similar crimes occurred recently in Hunan and Yunnan, severely disrupting hospital operations and causing a strong social response. We issued the following notice to deepen safe hospital construction, combat crimes against doctors and medical practices, and maintain normal medical operations.

Keep up efforts to fight crimes against doctors and medical practices

At present, the prevalence of crimes against doctors and medical practices indicates that combating crime will be long and arduous work. Slack treatment of crimes might cripple normal medical operations and undermine medical staff enthusiasm, thus affecting social harmony and stability. All areas should be fully aware of the importance of creating safe hospitals, giving special attention to crimes against doctors and medical practices and fully understanding the special nature of the medical industry. United thinking and rapid crime treatment are required to give priority to day-to-day medical operation maintenance. Forceful measures should be taken to bring criminals to justice, ensure medical order, and protect the lawful rights and interests of the medical staff and patients.

Members of the safe hospital construction team should follow the special campaign as well as opinions of the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice, and the National Health and Family Planning Commission in combating crimes against doctors and medical practices (No 5, 2014), as well as keep up efforts to combat crimes. All parties should crack down on crimes against doctors and medical practice diligently. Crimes that cause severe social consequences should be seriously punished. The China National Health and Family Planning Commission, the Central Comprehensive Management Office, and the Ministry of Public Security should work with the procuratorate and court to root out crimes and criminals.

Decisive treatment of crimes against doctors and medical practices in accordance with the law

All public security organs should step up efforts to fight crimes against doctors and medical practices in accordance with the Six Measures in Maintaining the Medical Institute’s Security and the five departments’ opinions. Public security departments should build an information sharing mechanism with the health administration and institute. Public security officers at crime scenes should immediately report the situation and possible treatment methods to the health and family planning administration and institute, and work with the medical institute to explain things to medical staff and improve the police-doctor linkage system to effectively cope with emergencies. The medical institute should establish an early warning mechanism to report various emergencies to the public security department in a timely way, providing early treatment and accident control, and strengthening technical prevention to support evidence collection work.