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Being a doctor in the Andalucía region of southern Spain can be a risky profession - a statement continuously supported by relevant data. During a press conference held on Monday, 9 June, the spokesperson for occupational risk prevention of the Malaga medical union (SMM), Teresa Valle, stated that there have been 25 registered assaults between January and June 2025, which is almost the same as the number of reported cases in the entire 2024 (32). This means that, if the trend continues, the number of assaults on doctors committed by patients could double by the end of the year.
"We cannot let even one more aggression go by, it is a scourge and the numbers break records every year," said Valle. The reported cases are detailed in the register managed by SMM, which means that statistics between the union's observations and those of the police or the regional ministry of health and consumer affairs might vary.
The SMM organised a rally outside the Cruz de Humilladero health centre on Monday, after a doctor was verbally assaulted and threatened by an individual who was waiting outside the consultation room, while the doctor was attending to another patient.
"We are here again to support a colleague who was assaulted by a patient more than a week ago. She was doing her job, when an individual made an accusation against her, complaining about the waiting time. There is no justification for any kind of aggression: the waiting time does not depend on the doctor," said Valle, adding that, at one point, the aggressor managed to enter, bypassing the triage system in the waiting room. "Colleagues are overwhelmed, because the volume of patients they have to see is huge," said Valle.
When he skipped the waiting queue and entered the consulting room, the man allegedly insulted the doctor, threatened and intimidated her, sticking his face into hers, "invading her personal space". The assaulted doctor is on sick leave and has filed a complaint with the National Police.
The aggressor was accompanied by another person, who also insulted the medical staff, even while the security officers were trying to appease her.
The known number of complaints does not match real assault figures, because many healthcare workers decide not to issue a complaint due to the "endless paperwork" involved, which ends up discouraging them. In addition, there are verbal attacks that do not classify as crimes.
Valle has demanded that the regional government "take measures now", not only in Cruz de Humilladero but also in all of Malaga's health centres, most of which do not have security measures, as these were withdrawn after the height of the pandemic.
Valle denounced the Andalucía regional government's lack of action, compared to other regions where the 2020 plan has already been implemented, with immediate administrative sanctions. In addition, she highlighted that there is a ridiculously low number of occasions on which the assaulted worker has been offered judicial support by the SAS public health system. Valle stated that it is unacceptable that a doctor would not feel safe at work, as their well-being provides essential peace of mind for both themselves and the patient.
Any aggression "in the healthcare field is violent if the doctor is no longer able to attend to the rest of the patients; it has a collateral effect on the rest of the patients who are waiting, as the doctor is usually very affected, which leads to closing the consultation room, while the other people are left waiting and cannot be attended to".
"It is unacceptable that, year after year, records are broken. The administration might say a lot, but the measures are not effective," said Valle, adding that either they need to be modified or the 2020 plan against aggression must be implemented.
Following the rally, the regional ministry of health and the SAS stated that their objective "is the same as that of the trade union organisations: to put an end to attacks on health workers".
Since October 2020, the regional ministry of health has had an assault prevention plan for healthcare professionals. The aim of it is to provide victims with all the necessary resources (including legal advice and psychological support, as well as healthcare if necessary). The plan also foresees the incorporation of a special programme, according to which the assaulted health worker should be accompanied by an expert who will train them and act as a guide in the prevention of assaults.
"Most health centres in Malaga do not have a security surveillance service, but they do have more than 6,700 security measures in consultation rooms, such as individual alarms, security cameras, intercoms with the outside, alternative exits, more than 1,300 alarm buzzers, GPS trackers in ambulances, almost 1,500 telephone terminals, and more than 2,200 computer devices with anti-panic software," the regional ministry said.
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