55 out of 100 doctors in our country have been victims of aggression, and every second medic has been a victim of verbal abuse at work. Only 17% of other professions encountered aggression during the performance of their work. The topic was commented by Chairman of the Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) Dr. Ivan Madzharov.
He told „BNR“ that 7% of medics shared that physical force had been used against them. In reality, however, the numbers are far more troubling, just remaining in the shadows. The rate for other professions is twice as low – only 3 per 100.
The Chairman of the BMA specified that 53% of doctors were victims of violence in Italy, and 90% in Turkey.
According to Dr. Madzharov, the aggressive behavior of patients and their relatives stems from several factors – a long wait, perception of poor quality of the care received, concerns about the state of health, dissatisfaction with the attitude of the medical staff and so on. He shared:
„Physical and verbal aggression against those employed in the health sector not only puts the life and health of medics at risk, has a negative impact on their psychological and physical well-being, but also seriously affects their motivation to work. As a result, violence inevitably compromises the quality of care and puts the delivery of healthcare to patients at risk.”
Dr. Ivan Madzharov believes that the first step to overcome the problem of violence against doctors is to prepare them for appropriate behavior in risky situations.
It is also necessary to pay attention and raise the authority of the class among the society. This can be done by introducing extra hours in school; dissemination of information on the importance of respect for health and social health professionals; setting a National Day for Education and Prevention of Violence Against Health and Social Care Professionals.
Quick and fair punishments and improvement of the legal framework, which does not leave perpetrators with a feeling of impunity, are steps in the right direction.
