The Italian army will be guarding medical staff at a hospital in the southern Calabria region to protect them from violent attacks by enraged patients and relatives. Recent incidents of attacks on healthcare workers, particularly in southern Italy, have prompted the deployment of soldiers to ensure the safety of medical personnel. The decision to reinforce surveillance services at the hospital in Vibo Valentia comes after a violent assault on hospital staff at the Policlinico hospital in Foggia in early September. Video footage of the attack, where doctors and nurses were barricaded in a room to escape, went viral on social media, highlighting the urgent need for action.
With over 16,000 reported cases of physical and verbal assaults on healthcare workers nationwide in 2023 alone, Italian doctors and nurses are calling for drastic measures to protect themselves. Antonio De Palma, president of the Nursing Up union, expressed concern over the unprecedented levels of aggression towards healthcare workers and emphasized the need for immediate action to address the issue. The Italian Federation of Medical-Scientific Societies has proposed stricter measures for offenders, including suspending access to free medical care for three years for anyone who assaults healthcare workers or damages hospital facilities.
The main reasons behind patients’ frustration and aggression towards healthcare workers in Italy are understaffing and long waiting lists for medical services. Nearly half of emergency medicine positions in Italy remained unfilled as of 2022, leading to overworked and burned out staff at hospitals. Low wages and challenging working conditions have pushed many healthcare workers to leave Italy in search of better opportunities abroad, exacerbating the shortage of doctors in the country. Between 2010 and 2020, Italy saw the closure of 111 hospitals and 113 emergency rooms, further straining the healthcare system.
The COVID-19 pandemic has added to the challenges faced by healthcare workers in Italy, with many struggling to cope with the increased pressure and patient demand. The pandemic has highlighted the existing weaknesses in the healthcare system, such as staffing shortages and inadequate resources, leading to higher levels of frustration and violence towards healthcare workers. The situation has reached a critical point, with calls for military protection in hospitals becoming a serious consideration to ensure the safety of medical staff. The Italian government and healthcare authorities are under pressure to take immediate action to address the underlying issues and improve working conditions for healthcare workers.
