Meeting at the Prefecture in Salerno on the critical issues relating to the safety of emergency rooms in hospital facilities in the capital and the province.
Present at the table, together with the prefect Francesco Russo, the police commissioner Giancarlo Conticchio, the director general of the ASL Salerno Gennaro Sosto and the director general of the San Giovanni di Dio Ruggi d'Aragona University Hospital Trust, Vincenzo D'Amato.
There have been 13 episodes of attacks on health workers in emergency rooms and hospital departments in the province of Salerno in the last year, a number not on a par with other areas but which has nevertheless determined the intention to "intensify a security policy aimed primarily at preventing cases of violence and protecting doctors and health workers", according to a note from the Prefecture of Salerno.
To this end, the police commissioner announced that the public safety personnel assigned to the hospital facilities of Salerno and Nocera Inferiore will be increased, while in the areas of Battipaglia, Cava de' Tirreni and Sarno an intensification of 24-hour surveillance measures will be arranged through the crews on ordinary duty to control the territory.
Another preventive measure will be the creation of a direct and immediate telephone contact between the emergency rooms of the province and the operations rooms of the police forces (Police Headquarters and 112).
At the same time, the ASL and the Ruggi d'Aragona Hospital will jointly evaluate an operational remodulation of the organization of the security service managed by the security institutes responsible for controlling the facilities, both in terms of the resources used and to try to cover all time slots, and will also proceed to verify and implement the dedicated video surveillance circuits, which are essential not only to strengthen the mechanism for preventing attacks but also to proceed with the immediate identification of the individuals responsible for episodes of violence against health workers and hospital facilities.
“Those present – the note adds – agreed that a targeted and effective strategy that allows us to identify an organizational model that can be reproduced on a provincial scale is the best way to jointly address the very serious phenomenon of attacks on health workers, which has direct implications not only for the protection of public order and the safety of those who too often work in already difficult conditions, but also in terms of protecting the health of patients who require immediate interventions that are put at risk by the occurrence of episodes of violence”.
At the end of the meeting, Prefect Russo expressed “satisfaction for the important path undertaken” stating that “thanks to the operational methods of intervention proposed by the Police Headquarters of Salerno, promptly received and developed by the representatives of our very important health organizations, an organizational model has been identified that will be able to provide the necessary response to the phenomenon. Synergy and collaboration between institutions is the main way to be able to provide effective and practical responses to citizens”.
Article published on 8 February 2023 - 20:20
