Measures should be taken to relieve the mental and physical stress of local doctors and enhance their health management following the sudden death of two doctors last month, according to a proposal made by a local political adviser.

Wang Renwei said that last year five young and middle-aged medical workers in Shanghai died from overwork.

Last month, two experienced doctors died on the job. On December 12, Chen Pei, 49, director of Zhongshan Hospital’s anal surgery department, suffered myocarditis and died. On December 16, 39-year-old Yang Lifeng with Shanghai Cancer Center died from a sudden heart condition attributed to overwork.

Data show that the number of Chinese doctors suffering sudden death caused by overwork totaled 6, 16 and 24 in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. Most were aged between 30 and 39.

It’s also common for doctors to work overtime at local hospitals, especially leading public hospitals which serve more patients.

Wang proposes improvements to the city’s classified medical system which can send more patients with common diseases to community health centers. He also suggests the promotion of a reservation system for outpatient services and the setting up of regional treatment centers to ease pressure on leading hospitals.

The proposal also calls for more physical exams for doctors, and hospitals can make such exams compulsory.

Also on doctors’ well-being, another adviser Li Qingfeng proposed that security screenings should be done at leading public hospitals in Shanghai to prevent attacks on staff after a doctor in Beijing was stabbed to death by the son of one of her patients last month.

Over the past decade, there have been over 300 reports of doctors being attacked across the country.

Li believes it’s more likely for aggressive acts to take place at hospitals where emotions run high. Persons with mental problems and cognitive impairment are also more likely to gather in hospitals.