Response from Rome

The most recent attack took place in central Italy in the Abruzzo region. A patient of the oncology clinic lost his battle with life and 40 of his relatives violently entered the hospital, started breaking everything in front of them and attacked doctors and nurses.

At the same time, in Vibo Valencia, Calabria, a woman punched a doctor because she demanded not to wait her turn in the emergency room and to be examined immediately. Outside of Caserta, in the district of Naples, a nurse working in the First Aid department was injured by the patient’s husband. He was enraged, he explained to the carabinieri, because the ambulance was late.

Scenes and events that seem unreal. At the emergency entrance of Italian hospitals there are now large signs – translated into several languages ​​- that read that assaulting nursing staff is a criminal offence. The Meloni government has also announced that those responsible will be arrested and taken to jail.

Despite this, these extreme phenomena are not decreasing. In Calabria, a prefect has decided that the army will henceforth not only contribute to the fight against organized crime. As part of maintaining public order, soldiers will also be stationed outside hospitals to help curb violent attacks on nurses, doctors and administrative staff. Many residents, however, believe that this is a sensational move, which is not going to bring substantial results.

Italian doctors’ unions are ready to call mass strikes and explain that it is a complex phenomenon, which needs a series of interventions. Starting with the low salaries of the workers and the chronic staff shortages due to which the waiting time has increased dramatically in almost all hospitals. “And in this case, the problems need solutions that take into account the real causes and not just the final consequences”, many commentators emphasize.