The province of Granada has witnessed a worrying escalation of violent episodes targeting doctors, nurses, and healthcare technicians. In recent weeks, verbal attacks, threats, property damage, and physical assaults have been recorded, fostering an atmosphere of fear among public health professionals.
Recent incidents include a verbal assault on a doctor and a nurse at the Zafarraya health center, and a similar situation experienced by another physician in Santa Fe. Last week, an ambulance driver was assaulted in Guadix while transferring a minor to Málaga Hospital. In La Zubia, a patient threatened a doctor and caused damage after being told he had to wait for his scheduled appointment.
One of the most serious cases occurred on May 25th in the Emergency service of the Gran Capitán health center, where a doctor was hit in the face with a mobile phone by a user demanding medication that was not appropriate to prescribe. At the Láchar health center, four internal CATI procedures (aggression incident reports) were activated in the last month alone.
“"This is totally out of control. The frequency with which these episodes occur is causing a dangerous normalization of violence in healthcare centers."
Union representatives such as Rafael Franco of the Granada Medical Union and José Manuel Morales, provincial secretary of SATSE in Granada, warn that the situation is "out of control" and that current measures are "clearly ineffective." They point out that violence has worsened since the pandemic, linking it to structural problems such as appointment delays, staff shortages, and waiting lists.
The latest Report on Aggressions to National Health System Professionals indicates that 51% of aggressions occur in Primary Care, mainly against doctors and nursing staff. The profile of the aggressor is typically the patient themselves (71%), followed by relatives or companions. Most incidents are non-physical, such as insults and threats, particularly during in-person consultations.
Professionals are demanding more protection, including security surveillance in high-conflict centers and more severe sanctions for aggressors. The Observatory for Aggressions Against Public Health System Professionals of Andalusia and the national working group aim to analyze and prevent these acts, but unions consider the implemented actions insufficient to date.
The main concern lies in the "normalization" of these incidents, which transforms healthcare into a source of vulnerability for those who provide it daily.
