Healthcare Workers Report 91,355 Incidents of Violence in 7 Years

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Chaired by Republican People's Party (CHP) Vice Chair Fethi Açıkel, main opposition CHP's Science Platform has issued a policy note on incidents of violence targeting physicians and healthcare workers in Turkey.

Referring to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the policy note of the party is entitled "AKP Jeopardizes Public Health by Turning a Blind Eye to Violence in Medicine".

As reported by Serkan Alan from Gazete Duvar, the note has underlined that the steps taken in the field of healthcare have driven a wedge between healthcare professionals and patients and their relatives. The lack of policies introduced by the Ministry of Health has been also emphasized in the note.

40 healthcare workers subjected to violence everyday

According to the note, three out of every four healthcare workers have been subjected to some form of violence at least for once in their career.

"The level of violence suffered by healthcare professionals in our country has gone well over world averages in 16 years", the note has emphasized and added that "an average of 40 health workers are subjected to a form of physical, psychological and verbal violence every day."

'A 26-percent increase in violence'

The policy note has also referred to the data of ALO 113 White Code Application, which was put into effect by the Ministry of Health to track the violence targeting healthcare workers:

"Since May 2012, 91 thousand 355 incidents of violence have been reported to the application. When the number of incidents reported in 2017 is compared with the ones in 2012, it marks a 26-percent increase.

"In almost 30 percent of the incidents, health workers have been directly subjected to physical violence. Apart from physical violence, another frequent form of violence encountered in healthcare is verbal and psychological violence. However, as incidents of verbal and psychological insult and violence  usually go unreported, the situation is not reflected in statistical data in its all extents."

'Judicial steps not taken'

Against this background, the policy note of the main opposition party has further emphasized that necessary legal regulations are not introduced to reduce violence in hospitals and no steps are taken to change the careless attitude of the media towards healthcare professionals.

The note has shared the following figures and statistics:

"An average of 40 healthcare workers are subjected to a form of physical, psychological and verbal violence in Turkey everyday. More than one health worker is subjected to violence by the hour.

"Three of every four healthcare workers are subjected to violence at least for once in their working life.

"The number of physicians killed on duty between 2005 and 2019 is 9.

"The number of healthcare workers who reported incidents of violence over the last 7 years is over 90 thousand.

"Almost 95 percent of physicians have indicated that the statements of politicians devaluing health workers in the eyes of the public have an effect of increasing violence in health sector.

"Only between the years of 2015 and 2017, 431 healthcare workers committed suicide in Turkey.

"While the number of applications to physicians for health care services was 209 million in 2002, this figure reached 719 million in 2017. While a citizen saw a doctor for three times a year on average in 2002, this figure more than tripled in 2017 and reached 9. This rate is below 7 in OECD countries.

"According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every patient should be examined in 20 minutes for a healthy treatment; however, the physicians in Turkey can give time to their patients as short as 5 minutes in public and private health institutions.

"In 2012, the number of physicians asking for their personal records from the Turkish Medical Association to work abroad was 59. In 2019, this figure has reached 906. In other words, the number of physicians intending to work abroad has increased by 15 times in 7 years." (RT/SD)