AMMAN —
Deputy Head of the Jordan Nurses and Midwives Council (JNMC), Mohammad
Al-Kharabsheh, said that in 2023, up until August, there were five cases of
assaults on nurses, and four cases in all of 2022. He said that while this is a
large improvement from the 80 assault cases in 2018, the end goal is to have
zero annual cases, and calls for increasing the penalties for assault of a
healthcare professional.
اضافة اعلان
He added, "Just as penalties for traffic violations are
increased, the punishment for
assaulting an employee of a hospital while
performing their duties should be deterred more vigilantly," Khaberni News
reported.
Kharabsheh stated that the cases of assault reported since
the beginning of 2023 have been communicated to the union, and appropriate
actions have been taken. He emphasized that it is essential for the incident
not to be recorded as a "fight" in the security report because that
would undermine their legal rights.
He further clarified that the incident should be documented
as an
assault on an employee while performing their professional duties, noting
that the law is clear on this matter, whether in the healthcare sector or any
other sector.
Doctor’s union
In the Doctors' Union, seven cases of assaults on doctors in
Amman, were recorded and dealt with legally in 2023, according to Dr. Maha
Fakhouri, a member of
Jordan's Medical Association.
Fakhouri confirmed that a similar number of assaults
occurred on doctors in other governorates since the beginning of the current
year.
She pointed out that there are several reasons for this
phenomenon, including the
economic pressures on citizens and patients'
relatives, especially since most of the assaults occur in emergency
departments.
She also noted that it is not always understood that some
patients in the
emergency department may have untreatable illnesses and may pass
away, which at times leads to anger and violence.
Fakhouri emphasized that "waiting" is a common
occurrence in emergency departments, and therefore, patients' relatives should
exercise patience, especially since medical procedures are predetermined in
dealing with patients, including
X-rays, laboratory tests, and more.
She also mentioned that the frustrations experienced by
patients' relatives in emergency departments are often vented on healthcare
professionals.
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