The man set fire to the outpatient hall of Kanghua Hospital in Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County of Guilin City, causing heavy damage to the hospital, following which he was arrested.
The fire was extinguished after over 10 minutes by 13 firefighters, who also rescued several people trapped in the hall.
No casualties were reported from the fire, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The patient, who was not identified, claimed that he had spent 4,800 yuan (USD 781) on his treatment at the hospital but his condition did not improve.