China’s health authorities issued a new regulation on July 11 in an effort to mitigate the country’s escalating tensions between doctors and patients.

The regulation jointly issued by China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the Ministry of Public Security, suggested that security checks and other measures should be strengthened at medical facilities, while large hospitals should establish a security incident response team to increase the safety of doctors and patients.

The regulation also stipulates that patients who are involved in violence against medical workers should be put on a blacklist in the country’s social credit system, while patients who are drunk or who have mental or behavioral disorders should be accompanied by security officers during treatment.

In order to provide better medical services, the regulation requires large hospitals to set up a special department to handle patient complaints, as well as communicate with the media when incidents occur in order to inform the public.

Tensions between doctors and patients have become a major social issue in China. According to a report released in 2015 by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, over 60 percent of the doctors surveyed had suffered verbal abuse or threats, while 13 percent had experienced a violent attack.