A man, a relative of a patient, threatened three nurses, telling them that he would return shortly with a gun.
It happened at the Moscati hospital in Avellino where the man allegedly promised to drive to get the gun, saying, "I'll show you." The nurses' union, Nursing Up, reconstructed the incident, which occurred on the night of January 9th and 10th, describing the situation in Italian hospitals as "a climate of terror" with "continuous acts of intimidation" and "brutal physical attacks."
A "phenomenon that risks becoming uncontrollable and unmanageable," and which shows how "prevention and safety plans are currently ineffective." According to investigators' initial reconstruction, compared to what was initially thought—a statement reads—it appears the man was not in possession of a weapon, but made it clear he had every intention of using one, the union reports.
"The necessary reflection in light of what is happening, and in this regard, Campania holds the dramatic record of an average of more than one assault per day between December 2023 and January 2024," comments Antonio De Palma, president of Nursing Up, "can only be one: healthcare professionals are today completely abandoned to their own devices."
And again: "We are faced," the union representative denounces, "with blatant inaction on the part of the Government and the Regions—there's no point in hiding it—but also with pointless and counterproductive buck-passing. First of all, it seems clear to us," he continues, "that the plan to restore police presence, so vaunted by the Ministry of the Interior, is clearly not sufficient to date and is not sufficiently deep-rooted and effective.
Secondly, the era of harsher laws, anti-violence observatories, and prevention handbooks is well and truly over: it's clear to us that they've had no effect whatsoever. And so, he concludes, before the irreparable happens, before a nurse actually risks their life, we need to completely change our strategies; we need a radical shift that involves all stakeholders.
And the healthcare companies themselves should not play the victim, limiting themselves to placing the blame on the Government and the Regions, since by law they are responsible for the physical and psychological safety of the nurses they employ."
EDITORIAL TEAM
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