Healthcare workers in Italy face rising violence in emergency departments

Recent violent assaults against medical professionals in Italian emergency departments have prompted calls for increased security measures. In San Severino, a doctor was attacked at a first-aid point by a 30-year-old man in an altered state. The assailant threw a mobile phone at the physician, causing injuries to the left eyebrow that required 15 days to heal. Carabinieri intercepted the suspect following a brief pursuit.

In Cosenza, a doctor at the Annunziata hospital emergency room also suffered a head trauma during an assault. These incidents have led the Order of Physicians, Surgeons and Dentists of Cosenza to issue an appeal, stating that attacking healthcare workers is an attack on the community's right to care.

Labor unions, including CGIL and UGL, have expressed solidarity with the victims, emphasizing that such violence cannot be treated as inevitable. Medical organizations are calling for safety to be integrated into healthcare organization through improved protocols and collaboration with law enforcement and local prefectures.