New rules for punishing perpetrators of serious assaults or property damage following hospital disputes have been agreed by 28 government departments in China, including the National Development and Reform Commission, The People's Bank of China, and the National Health Commission. 

The new rules are in response to a growing number of serious incidents in which doctors and nurses have been injured, and hospital services disrupted, by patients unhappy with their care. 

[File photo: IC]

Six kinds of illegal activities were listed on a memorandum of understanding signed by the participating agencies. They include physically assaulting medical staff, destroying hospital property, and interfering with the orderly running of a hospital. 

Serious offenders risk facing six different sanctions from the signatories to the memorandum. For example, the National Development and Reform Commission will ban offenders from receiving financial support from the government; the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security will ban them from employment with the civil service; and, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission will disqualify them from taking senior leadership positions at State-Owned Enterprises.

Identifying details about the registered offenders will be included on a blacklist shared among the 28 government agencies.