In an effort to reduce the frequent incidents of violence against doctors and other medical personnel, the Beijing municipal government reminded citizens on Monday that its police officers can use weapons when necessary, Sixth Tone’s sister publication The Paper reported.

The announcement came in response to a national year-long campaign aimed at cracking down on medical-related violence, which the National Health and Family Planning Commission — a ministerial-level department — debuted in July. The campaign will also target the scalpers and scammers who crowd around Chinese hospitals and prey on unsuspecting patients by offering appointment slips for quick access to doctors at exorbitant prices and other cons.

Hospital violence has long been a serious issue in China. A report released by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association last May revealed that nearly 60 percent of medical staff had experienced verbal abuse, and over 13 percent had been physically assaulted.

Gruesome stories of medical personnel being attacked by patients or their relatives frequently make the news. In May, a retired doctor was killed by a former patient who claimed the doctor had “broken his teeth” in a surgery performed decades ago. In June, the 10-year-old son of a medical worker was stabbed by a former patient after a dispute over medical reimbursements.

Monday’s announcement also said the public areas, including outpatient facilities, of Beijing hospitals must be equipped with cameras and patrolled by security guards. When similar security measures were installed in a hospital in Hangzhou, eastern China, in July as part of the upcoming G-20 summit, many doctors around the country reacted by saying they wanted such protection in their hospitals, too.

(Header image: Two security guards stand outside the office of a doctor who was beaten by a patient’s family at the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan province, Nov. 14, 2013. Lang Xiaowei/VCG)