A knife attack on a doctor in the southern Indian city of Chennai has raised new concerns about the safety of medical professionals in the country.

Police say Balaji Jaganathan, an oncologist at a government hospital, was stabbed multiple times by a man who was allegedly unhappy with his mother’s treatment.

The doctor’s condition is stable, and the attacker was sent to police custody.

Over 75% of doctors in India have faced at least one form of violence and 68.33% of such attacks are perpetrated by patient participants, says a report by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

The case comes a few months after the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in the hospital where he worked sparked nationwide protests – and a conversation about the unsafe working conditions of doctors in India.

The attack took place on Wednesday when Mr Jaganathan was treating the attacker’s mother, who had recently been diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer.

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Reports say the man was seen arguing with the doctor the day before. The next day, he entered Mr Jaganathan’s consulting room, locked it and stabbed him seven times with a kitchen knife.

He was caught by hospital staff on the way out and taken into police custody.

Meanwhile, Mr. Jaganathan, who suffered injuries to his scalp, head, neck, back and ear, was rushed to surgery.

“His condition is stable. He will be monitored in the ICU by a team of doctors,” hospital director Dr L Parthasarathy said on Wednesday.

The incident sparked protests in the state of Tamil Nadu, where Chennai is located, with several doctors’ unions threatening a full service strike.

The IMA, which is the largest union of medical professionals in the country, condemned the attack and called for strong measures to curb violence against doctors.

“Only a comprehensive review of the security atmosphere in hospitals could restore the confidence of doctors. The nation owes it to its doctors,” he said in a statement.

Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu also reacted to the incident and accused the government of failing to maintain law and order in the state.

Deputy Chief Minister Udayanidhi Stalin visited the hospital on Wednesday and assured to take strict action against the attacker.

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