On Monday, as reported by local police, a man attacked three medical staff and a bystander at Chaoyang Hospital with a kitchen knife. The suspect has been detained. Although the condition of the three medics is not critical, one cannot overlook the damage the attacker could have caused.

Reports said one of the three medics, Tao Yong, is a senior ophthalmologist and has injuries on his hand, which if serious can make it difficult for him to even pick up a lancet again, which would be a loss to the medical profession as well as to patients. The same holds true for his two colleagues.

An attack on doctors, nurses or other hospital staff should be considered an attack on the medical system. Many blame such attacks on the "doctor-patient conflict".But anyone who attacks a doctor, or any other person, deserves to be punished. The knife attack at Chaoyang Hospital has harmed not only the doctor but also all the patients who would need the doctor's services in the future. That best explains why an attack against a doctor is akin to an attack on the entire medical system.

Sun Wenbin, who killed a doctor at the Civil Aviation General Hospital on Dec 24, 2019, was sentenced to death on Jan 16.

We hope the person who attacked the three medical staff at Chaoyang Hospital will also receive exemplary punishment to deter potential assailants, as we cannot afford to lose one more doctor.