Sunday, 7 May 2023
Six professional healthcare unions have called for for laws to be in place to protect workers from violent patients as a matter of urgency, Yeniduzen reports. This reaction was prompted after a Famagusta doctor was seriously injured when he was stabbed on Saturday by a patient who was unhappy with his healthcare. The same man also stabbed a lawyer several days beforehand.
The healthcare unions issued a statement relating to the stabbing of Dr. Sadrettin Tuğcu at a private clinic in Famagusta.
The statement said that it had been a black day for healthcare in North Cyprus.
Referring to an increase in violent crime in the TRNC, the statement said:
“We, as the Cyprus Turkish Medical Association, the Cyprus Turkish Doctors Union, the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Doctors, the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Dentists, the Cyprus Turkish Nurses-Midwives Union, the Cyprus Turkish Nurses-Midwives Union, condemn violence in health and in every field, and the ‘managers’ of social violence. We call for immediate action to prevent it. We would like to make it clear that we will not normalise violence in health.
“The law on violence in health, which will protect health workers, should be passed urgently and it should be ensured that we practise our profession safely. Legal studies that will prevent violence in health should be prepared with all stakeholders and passed immediately. It should be known that providing health services will not be possible if violence continues in healthcare and measures are not taken”.
