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Closely following incidents involving attacks on doctors, the number of cases of assaults on nurses is also on the rise in the province of Malaga. Although statistics do provide relative figures, the exact number of victims of both physical and verbal abuse from patients is still unknown in March 2025. The medical community is calling for increased security, awareness and support for the victims to come forward.
A few days ago, SUR reported that more than 100 doctors were victims of physical or verbal aggression in the province of Malaga in 2024. Although doctors are the most affected professionals, nurses are not far behind. The general increase in the last two years brings the number of victims to more than 80. However, the health administration of Andalucía (SAS) has not provided specific figures by province yet.
In general, violence against healthcare professionals continues to increase. In 2024, 318 such incidents were recorded in the province of Malaga, of which 69 were physical and 249 verbal, which is 14% more than in 2023. As can be seen from the latest reports from both the central and regional health ministries, around 25% of all of cases targeted nurses.
Faced with this "worrying" reality, the Malaga board of nurses is calling for "urgent measures" to halt this escalation, including more security in healthcare centres, sanctions for aggressors and their reincorporation into the provincial working groups on aggression. According to the board, nursing staff still does not receive an adequate response from authorities.
As official data shows, aggression against healthcare workers is a daily occurrence in the province of Malaga. Most of the attacks registered in 2024 were verbal attacks (80%), including threats, insults and coercion, while 19% of the cases resulted in physical violence.
The president of the board of nurses, José Miguel Carrasco, has stated that the actual figures could be even higher, as many assaults are not reported for fear of retaliation or because they have come to be accepted as part of "day-to-day healthcare".
Assault statistics
Beyond the lack of specific data to be able to communicate the true extent of aggression to the public, one of the main problems in tackling this crisis is the lack of access to detailed information on assaults in the province. Carrasco said that the board of nurses used to participate in the provincial roundtables on assaults - a space in which it worked jointly with the administration, the security forces and other healthcare collectives to seek solutions and improve the protection of professionals.
However, the Andalusian regional government has excluded associations from these forums, limiting access to official data and reducing their capacity to take necessary actions. "Despite the fact that we have always been involved in these roundtables, we are no longer invited to attend or asked for our opinion. This exclusion means a loss of key information that would enable us to act more effectively in protecting our members," said Carrasco.
The board maintains close collaboration with the National Police and the Guardia Civil, with the aim of endorsing security in health centres and offering immediate support to assaulted professionals. The board reminds all nurses that they are not alone in the face of aggression and offers them a 24-hour helpline (690 948 815), through which they can receive free legal advice and immediate support.
"Every assault that goes unreported is an aggressor who continues to act with impunity. We encourage all colleagues to report each case and to count on the support of the board. We cannot allow violence to become normalised in our work," said Carrasco. "We will always be on the side of those who are attacked, regardless of the group to which they belong," stated Carrasco, highlighting that it is not only medical professionals that become victims of attacks in the healthcare industry.
As Carrasco pointed out, nurses are there to care, not to be assaulted. "We ask the Junta de Andalucía to increase security measures in health centres and allow us to once again form part of the working groups on assaults. If we want to put an end to this scourge, we all need to work together," he said.
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