CHONGQING - In the latest case of strained doctor-patient relations in China, three people have been detained for injuring a doctor in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

One of the suspects used a knife to attack doctor Wang Yongqin early Tuesday morning at a hospital in Shizhu county after they refused Wang's suggestion for treating another suspect's finger wound, police said Wednesday.

Wang sustained severe injuries to the face and back and is in intensive care.

Police said the three suspects are all youth, with the oldest aged 19.

Further investigation is under way.

Violence against medical staff has made headlines in recent years, underscoring strained doctor-patient relations in the country.

Last week, a retired doctor in South China's Guangdong province died after being stabbed in a knife attack by a former patient he reportedly treated 25 years ago.