Hospital Doctors΄ Union: "We΄re not punchbags!"
Corfu Hospital
14 Jun 2022
/ 11:14
CORFU. Another violent incident in the Emergency Department.
There was yet another case of violence from a patient's escort at Corfu Hospital Emergency Department on Saturday - this time against a nurse. Apparently the escort became angry initially because of the priority of patients and then when the nurse asked him to wear a mask. It was reported that he swore at her and then assaulted her.
The man was arrested and taken to a police station. Charges of swearing, threats and causing simple bodily harm were brought against him. On Sunday morning the man was taken to appear before the Prosecutor, who announced the charges and he was then released.
Corfu National Health System Doctors Union issued a statement in which it calls on the hospital administration, the Ministry of Health and all other responsible bodies to ensure the safety and protection of hospital workers at all health facilities.
Union statement:
"There was yet another act of violence in Corfu Hospital Emergency Department directed against medical and nursing staff. Fortunately, there were two police officers present for another reason and they were able to get the situation uncer control. Who knows what would have happened if they hadn't been there!
We're not punchbags - we work under extremely difficult conditions, with a tragic lack of personnel and without breaks. This phenomenon needs to be dealt with immediately and effectively as these violent attacks are on the increase..
Our union is stating clearly that we will bring a civil suit for all these types of incident in order to make it clear that the medical community will not acceept this type of behaviour. Priority in an emergency department depends on the severity of a case as determined by trained personnel and on nothing else.
We call upon the hospital administration, the Ministry of Health and all other responsible bodies to ensure the safety and protection of hospital workers at all health facilities - which they are, in any case, obliged to do!
We also call on the government to immediately change the legislation regarding attacks on public officials so that health facility administrations can have recourse to the judicial system.
'Well-meaning' comments
And because some 'well-meaning' people, on reading about the incident, immediately made comments along the lines of 'good on him, they deserve it' etc, we would like to let them know that the problems of long waiting times in the emergency department and regular clinics are due to understaffing and the serious lack of personnel - so perhaps their insults and punches should be directed at those they voted for to manage these situations..
The doctors and the rest of the hospital and health centre staff on the island are making efforts, and will continue to make efforts, to provide the best possible health services for the public, despite the difficult conditions and will ALWAYS be AT the patint's SIDE and not against hime or her! Dear Corfiots, self-knowledge is a good thing!"
The man was arrested and taken to a police station. Charges of swearing, threats and causing simple bodily harm were brought against him. On Sunday morning the man was taken to appear before the Prosecutor, who announced the charges and he was then released.
Corfu National Health System Doctors Union issued a statement in which it calls on the hospital administration, the Ministry of Health and all other responsible bodies to ensure the safety and protection of hospital workers at all health facilities.
Union statement:
"There was yet another act of violence in Corfu Hospital Emergency Department directed against medical and nursing staff. Fortunately, there were two police officers present for another reason and they were able to get the situation uncer control. Who knows what would have happened if they hadn't been there!
We're not punchbags - we work under extremely difficult conditions, with a tragic lack of personnel and without breaks. This phenomenon needs to be dealt with immediately and effectively as these violent attacks are on the increase..
Our union is stating clearly that we will bring a civil suit for all these types of incident in order to make it clear that the medical community will not acceept this type of behaviour. Priority in an emergency department depends on the severity of a case as determined by trained personnel and on nothing else.
We call upon the hospital administration, the Ministry of Health and all other responsible bodies to ensure the safety and protection of hospital workers at all health facilities - which they are, in any case, obliged to do!
We also call on the government to immediately change the legislation regarding attacks on public officials so that health facility administrations can have recourse to the judicial system.
'Well-meaning' comments
And because some 'well-meaning' people, on reading about the incident, immediately made comments along the lines of 'good on him, they deserve it' etc, we would like to let them know that the problems of long waiting times in the emergency department and regular clinics are due to understaffing and the serious lack of personnel - so perhaps their insults and punches should be directed at those they voted for to manage these situations..
The doctors and the rest of the hospital and health centre staff on the island are making efforts, and will continue to make efforts, to provide the best possible health services for the public, despite the difficult conditions and will ALWAYS be AT the patint's SIDE and not against hime or her! Dear Corfiots, self-knowledge is a good thing!"
