A man from Hunan province, sentenced to death for fatally stabbing a female doctor, has appealed to the provincial higher people's court for a sentence review.

Wang Yunsheng, 26, a villager from Hengnan county, was treated at Hengyang No 3 Hospital in July and August 2011 after being diagnosed with tuberculosis, according to a report in Legal Weekly.

During his treatment, he was not satisfied with his doctor, 33-year-old Chen Yuna, believing Chen had failed to cure his disease and caused him to lose the ability to work. On April 28, 2012, he fatally stabbed Chen with a knife in her office.

He was caught by police on May 1 and sentenced to death on Dec 21. However, he has asked for a review of the case from the provincial higher people's court, the newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The court had not disclosed any information about the case as of Tuesday morning.

Liao Chongzhou, the doctor's husband, said his wife's death should arouse public concern over differences between doctors and patients, as similar incidents had occurred frequently in recent years.