Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
A report by the Alicante College of Physicians shows that assaults against doctors will rise 37% in Alicante in 2024.
The victims were mostly male doctors, a majority under the age of 35.
The COMA received 26 notified cases in 2023 with five physical assaults, compared to only two reported in 2020.
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The number of threats and coercion directed at doctors has increased to 16 from 13. Verbal aggression was also reported in five cases.
26 of the reported incidents occurred within the public health sector.
COMA collected data on 65% assaults that occurred in primary and health care emergency centres.
Males under 40 is the profile of an aggressor in Alicante.
Dissatisfaction and disagreement with prescription medications were the main flashpoints.
COMA secretary-general, Dr. Jose Manuel Peris, said doctors are increasingly denouncing violent acts that ‘they experience on too many occasions’ but the figures ‘ do not reflect the magnitude of the problem’.
“There are more incidents that are not reported because of the fear of reprisals, the bureaucracy involved in filing a report, or the ludicrous punishments meted out to offenders,” said he.
Peris said that “we need stronger penalties in addition to specific laws against attacks on medical staff, as exist in other regions.”
He advised doctors to always report any aggressive behavior.
“Assuredly, doctors should not be subjected to threats, coercion or insults. They do not deserve it.”
Dr. Peris warned such incidents would become ‘normalised’ if offenders were not reported to the police.
