Malaga health: patient hits doctor with crutch, triggering new demonstration

A quick trial has sentenced a patient to six months in prison for a crime of assault on a doctor, which happened in the coastal town of Torrox on 28 February.

According to the ruling and the doctor's complaint, the incident happened around 10.30pm at the local health centre. The patient entered the consulting room before being called and aggressively demanded that the doctor give her an injectable medication.

The doctor tried to calm her down and check her medical records to verify the prescription. She began to threaten and insult him, until she finally hit him in the chest with a crutch. The patient also hit the furniture in the room.

Following the assault, the Guardia Civil arrested the woman, while the doctor filed a complaint. He did not suffer any serious injuries.

A speedy trial on 2 March sentenced the defendant to six months in prison and a four-month restraining order. The court has also ordered her to financially compensate the victim for the assault.

This incident joins the long list of assaults on doctors in Malaga province. It triggered a new demonstration in front of the health centre in Torrox, which took place on Monday morning.

According to data from Malaga's medical union (SMM), there have already been seven assaults on doctors in the province since the start of the year. This is cause of concern for healthcare professionals, who have denounced the risks and pressure they work under on several occasions.

The medical union has released a statement to call for more prevention and safety measures in healthcare centres, as well as awareness-raising campaigns aimed at the general public to curb this type of behaviour. The union also encourages professionals to report any incident of physical or verbal violence.

The SMM's demands include increasing security workforce in health centres and improving protocols for dealing with assaults.