More than 70 percent of medical professionals in Macedonia have faced physical or verbal violence at work, of which 80 percent were exposed to verbal violence, and 6.8 percent to physical violence. However, most cases are kept quiet and are not reported at all, according to an anonymous survey by the Medical Chamber of Macedonia.
Thus, only three reports of violence against healthcare workers were recorded last year.
“Almost 70 percent of attacks are not reported at all. An attack on a healthcare worker is punished, but it must be reported for the institutions to act. Last year, we only had three reports of violence. It is not pleasant to go to work with the fear that someone may verbally or physically attack us. The healthcare system is not ideal, but that is no reason to be insulted or beaten,” said the Medical Chamber president KalinaGrivchevaStardelova.
The most exposed to risk are the doctors and medical teams in the Emergency Center in Skopje and the Emergency Medical Service. An additional problem, Stardelovanoted, are the threats and insults that are increasingly spreading on social networks.
The consequences of violence against doctors are serious, including psychological stress, anxiety and burnout. It encourages many doctors to consider leaving the profession or going abroad, which further weakens the healthcare system.
