That would increase security for health workers and provide them with a safe working environment, the HKMS said in a statement prompted by a recent assault on patients in the accident and emergency area of the KBC Zagreb hospital.
“The incident at KBC Zagreb is not an isolated case of attack on nurses in the course of their duties. Cases of psychological harassment, shouting, and threats directed at health workers by patients, their families, and other people have become part of everyday life for many health workers,” HKMS president Mario Gazić said.
He warned that violence against nurses and other health workers was an increasing problem that might escalate to the point of becoming a threat to their lives.
Citing the results of an HKMS survey conducted in 2018, Gazić said that 95 percent of nurses considered the present physical protection and security in medical institutions to be inadequate and that 73 percent of institutions reported attacks on nurses.
The survey revealed that 89 percent of nurses had experienced verbal or physical violence in the course of their duties, half of the institutions did not have a 24-hour security service and nine percent had such a service only during the night.
For more, check out our politics section.
