On Monday, a general practitioner from Zulte, in the province of East Flanders, was the victim of a hostage-taking with physical violence by a patient. Absym, the Belgian Association of Medical Unions reacts with dismay to this umpteenth case of serious aggression once morest a caregiver.
“The news regarding the sister who was taken hostage and threatened with a knife for an hour during a visit to a patient’s home in Waregem is shockingregrets Johan Blanckaert, president of the Absym. Cases of aggression once morest doctors and other caregivers in the exercise of their profession are accumulating. The brutal assault on a nurse earlier this month at the Jan Palfijn hospital in Merksem is still vividly remembered.”
Waregem’s hostage-taking took place during a house visit in broad daylight. “As is often the case, the perpetrator of the violence is part of the caregiver’s patient population. What happened on Monday is sadly reminiscent of the cowardly murder perpetrated once morest GP Patrik Roelandt, also visiting a patient’s home.pour suit Johan Blanckaert.
As a reminder, Patrik Roelandt was murdered in 2015 by a patient later declared a psychopath, who was sentenced to thirty years in prison. Since then, the Patrik Roelandt Prize has been awarded annually to guardhouses that launch concrete initiatives to increase the safety of general practitioners.
Despite this initiative, the number of acts of violence once morest healthcare providers increased by more than 30%. A phenomenon that has been further accentuated with the health crisis. “The crisis has endangered health workers at a time when they were needed most. Many of them have been insulted, harassed or victims of physical violence. In this climate of fear often aggravated by a lack of adequate personal protective equipment, caregivers were put under additional pressure which impacted their mental and physical health and that of their familiesdeplores Maciej Polkowski, member of the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC. While health systems in many countries are overwhelmed, these attacks are having a catastrophic impact on access to and delivery of care.”
Absym has long advocated a zero tolerance policy for any form of aggression once morest health care providers. “The problem of the safety of doctors and other care providers deserves the highest priority on the political agenda. Absym calls for urgent consultation with the Minister of the Interior, Annelies Verlinden. It goes without saying that we are putting all our know-how available to develop the most appropriate protective measures”concludes Johan Blanckaert.
