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Murcia moves to protect health staff as attacks hit record high
New cameras, panic buttons and stricter rules aim to curb violence in hospitals and clinics across the region
During 2024, a total of 778 healthcare workers suffered some type of assault in the Region of Murcia. This is a 27% rise compared to the previous year. With numbers on the rise and figures now reaching as many as 15 attacks per week, authorities have taken strong new action to safeguard medical staff.The Murcian Health Service (SMS) will install security cameras in Primary Care Emergency Services (SUAPs) and extend the use of panic buttons to all hospitals. For the first time, these cameras will become a regular feature in emergency waiting rooms, marking a major step not included in earlier anti-violence plans. There’s also a proposal to transfer offenders to alternative health zones, especially in severe cases or where the targeted staff are the only ones in their speciality locally.
Updated technology will allow staff across the region to use panic buttons in every hospital and clinic. Workers will be able to trigger either a physical button or an app, immediately alerting security guards in any medical setting.
The new protocol for removing violent patients from healthcare centres was explained to the SMS Health and Safety Committee, and a monitoring committee meeting with the Guardia Civil focused on how hate crime factors may apply in attacks and how to legally reinforce protection for workers.
SMS is also launching an advanced web platform to streamline occupational risk management, ensuring compliance and protecting staff and patients. This tool will also help manage outside contractors in hospitals more safely.
Most attacks targeted nurses and doctors, especially in A&E and hospital wards. In hospitals, inpatient areas saw the most incidents, while in primary care, outpatient clinics pose the highest risk. Men more often assaulted men physically, while women tended to target women in similar cases.
"Cases increase during the holidays due to waiting times and overload," said Soledad Guillén, spokesperson for the Observatory Against Attacks on Healthcare Workers, who also called the new measures “very positive,” adding, “these are simple measures to implement, and we hope they can even be in place before the end of the year.”
Murcia’s Ministry of Health is now working to tighten the law with financial penalties for offenders, not just the current judicial sanctions. This includes amending the Health Law so aggressive behaviour can be met with immediate fines, a step already taken by some other autonomous regions.
More practical staff training is already underway at selected centres and emergency rooms, including sessions led by police and Guardia Civil representatives. This is part of a wider strategy to tackle the issue head-on and ensure health workers can do their job safely, and help those in need of medical assistance, without any worry about the threat of violence.
Image: Pixabay
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