"Imagine not the no-man's-land": 1,675 cases of violence in hospitals since the beginning of the year Israel today

Physical violence against medical staff - almost every day: Since the beginning of the year, there have been 110 cases of assault and physical violence against medical staff, and 1,675 cases of verbal violence, threats or damage to property.

This means that each day since the beginning of the year there were an average of 12.5 cases of verbal violence and 0.8 cases of physical assault.

This is according to data from the Ministry of Health, at the request of "Israel Today".

Data from the past three years show that in 2019 there were 333 cases of physical and assault violence against medical staff and security guards, and 6,015 cases of verbal violence, threats and causing harm.

The eruption of the corona in 2020 did not lead to a significant change in trend: 306 cases of physical assault and 5,616 cases of verbal violence, threats and property damage were recorded this year.

In 2021 there were 313 cases of physical assault and 6,505 cases of verbal violence, threats and property damage.

A protest strike will take place today in all public hospitals and clinics, against the background of the severe violence in which medical staff in the intensive care unit at Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem were attacked.

Six people rioted in the incident, and a relative died in the unit.

Police have arrested only one suspect, who has been released under house arrest.

As part of the strike, doctors in hospitals, health bureaus and health funds will work on a Saturday basis and with a limited workforce, outpatient clinics will not work and only urgent surgeries and treatments will take place.

There will also be undoscopic endoscopic operations, late systems review for pregnant women, oncology treatments and in vitro fertilization units.

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"The harsh evidence of what happened and the sense of fear experienced by the staff members is shocking and requires action," said Dr. Zeev Feldman, chairman of the State Physicians Association, deputy chairman of the IRA and director of the Pediatric Neurosurgery Unit. "The expected deterioration of the patient requires investigation and drawing conclusions. This violence must stop! Doctors and doctors must not feel threatened and frightened in their workplace, the violent rioters must not be allowed to paralyze wards and entire units while severely harming the work of medical staff and patients."

Emergency measures

In the steps required by the Medical Association: placing police points in every emergency room, increasing the security system in hospitals and community clinics, assimilating assistive technologies and changing legislation - so that attacking a medical staff member will not be different from attacking a uniformed police officer.

This morning, a protest rally will be held at Hadassah Mount Scopus, with the participation of Dr. Tamar Elram, director of Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital, and Prof. Zion Hagai, chairman of the Medical Association, along with the hospital's workers 'and doctors' committees.

Prof. Hagai: "The blood of the doctors will not be wasted, and as long as the government does not take immediate action - we will not hesitate to intensify the measures."

Violent incident at Hadassah Hospital // Credit: Hadassah Spokeswoman

The Sheba Medical Center will also hold a rally today with the medical staff around the country due to the large number of cases of violence against them.

The hospital said that in the first half of 2022 they are witnessing a 30% increase in cases of physical violence against medical staff, compared to the same period last year and compared to the same period two years ago.

Along with the doctors' strike, the United Health Insurance Fund will join the protest and suspend its activities, including nursing and health professions in clinics between 12:00 and 13:00.

In 2021, 322 incidents of violence against United teams were reported.

It is estimated that this is a lack of assessment and that in practice there were more cases of violence.

Only in 12 of the cases was a complaint lodged with the police.

In Meuhedet, this is explained by the fact that a considerable part of the HMO's employees provide a service among the community in which they live, and are afraid of further meetings with them outside the clinic, or inside it, since these are permanent insureds of the clinic.

United CEO Sigal Regev: "Health system teams work day and night for the health of patients, and it is not easy to behave violently towards them.

"Meuhedet will continue to adhere to a policy of zero tolerance for incidents of violence, and will work to ensure the personal safety of our staff."

The Ministry of Health stated: "The Ministry expresses shock and calls on the enforcement systems to act harshly against anyone who chooses a violent path. Physical or verbal violence against medical staff is a serious phenomenon, and the Ministry of Health will act in all possible ways to ensure the peace of care staff and other patients. "In contact with the management of Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital and the team that handles dealing with the incident and its consequences."

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