Health, Gesualdo (Fism): “SSN professionals under pressure, violence is unacceptable”

“Although the pain of the family for the loss of the young woman from Cerignola is understandable and heartbreaking, acts of incivility are not tolerated. The violent and immediate response is never justifiable, nor is it useful in shedding light on what happened. Trust in the work of healthcare professionals must be maintained, despite the suffering”. This is what Loreto Gesualdo, president of Fism – Federation of Italian Medical-Scientific Societies, says.

“In the vast majority of cases – explains Gesualdo – healthcare workers act with dedication and professionalism, even in conditions of extreme difficulty, with limited resources and under pressure. It is crucial to remember that every intervention is driven by the goal of saving lives or alleviating suffering”. The “accusations of medical malpractice, however serious, must be based on objective data and not on the instinctive reaction of pain – Gesualdo points out – The immediate search for a culprit or the suspicion of error cannot be based on emotions, but must derive from a rigorous evaluation of the facts. Physical and verbal aggression, in addition to being unacceptable, undermines the delicate balance of trust between doctor and patient, a relationship that is essential for the functioning of the healthcare system”.

Violent behavior towards health professionals, “especially in an already complex and fragile context such as hospitals, only worsens an already critical situation”. Health facilities, “overloaded with patients and short of staff – highlights the Fism president – try every day to provide care in the best possible way. Any act of force or intimidation not only does not alleviate the pain, but further jeopardizes the system’s ability to guarantee adequate care to other patients, also alienating young people from the choice of professions that have been attractive until now. It is important to promote a constructive dialogue and an in-depth investigation of the facts, with respect for all parties involved”.

Finally, the determination of any responsibilities “must be entrusted to the competent bodies, which act according to legal and scientific criteria – adds the president of Fism – Only through a process of this type can justice be obtained, without compromising the relationship of trust between doctors and patients, a relationship that scientific societies and institutions must continually protect and strengthen. The bill presented by Senator Ignazio Zullo attempts to put a stop to the significant number of attacks on health workers (16 thousand in 2023), providing for the suspension of free access to care for three years for those who attack health workers or damage the structures of the SSN, alongside the identification of the Ruas (Single Regional Health Care Manager) is one of the initiatives on the subject, fully shared”.

“We support the appeal of the Fnomceo president Filippo Anelli who invited the institutions to make their presence felt, to strengthen security measures and to proceed ex officio against the attackers, an invitation accepted and made his own by the Undersecretary of Health Marcello Gemmato with his presence in Foggia. As Fism we express solidarity with the colleagues, we join in the pain of the patient’s family and we commit ourselves together with all our federated members to take care not only of the professional skills, but also of the relational ones of the health workers” he concludes.