Patients and relatives turn on doctors and nurses, with 16,000 reports of physical and verbal assaults in 2023 alone

Loreto Gesualdo, the president of the Italian Federation of Medical-Scientific Societies (Fism), has proposed legislation to suspend free access to medical care for three years for those who assault healthcare workers or damage health facilities.

Fism reported more than 16,000 verbal and physical attacks against doctors and nurses in Italian hospitals in 2023 alone.

  • lgsp@feddit.itEnglish
    24·
    8 days ago

    Using army for public order, why? Soldiers are trained to fight, not ti deal with problematic, probably unarmed people.

    Just use the police. There used to be police posts at ERs, they were cut. We don’t need a new solution…

      • MrAlagos@feddit.itEnglish
        7·
        8 days ago

        Italian people are already used to having the army do public order tasks; operation “safe roads” was introduced in 2008 and has been renewed ever since, by every government. This operation is essentially just the use of military personnel for patrol, deterrence and setting checkpoint in Italian cities.

        I believe it is important to sooner or later discuss this and to end it, as it has negative effects on the soldiers and also in general on how law enforcement is structured and thought of by governments and politicians. However this is by no means a proposal that for the first time would give military personnel responsibilities for public order nor it has anything to do with fascism.

        • the_strange@feddit.orgEnglish
          5·
          7 days ago

          There’s a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state. The other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people.

          From Adama in Battlestar Galactica

          • Kissaki@feddit.orgEnglish
            1·
            7 days ago

            The military serving civil duties can also connect them more to the citizens they’re supposed to protect. Be it natural disasters, epidemics, etc.

            If all you do is focus on military hierarchy that’s all you have, and far away from the people.

            • the_strange@feddit.orgEnglish
              4·
              7 days ago

              Agreed. The important difference here is that in these cases they do not serve in their form as a (military) force. They have no more authority in these situations than a random citizen already performing said tasks. Performing policing duties, they inherently have power and authority.