Slovenian health workers have been raising the alarm about an increasing number of violent incidents they face at work. They have now put forward a legislative proposal to amend the criminal code with a new criminal offence of assault on a health worker.

The Medical Chamber, the Chamber of Pharmacy and the Nurses' and Midwives' Association submitted the proposal to the National Assembly on 22 July after collecting nearly 7,600 signatures in two months, well over the 5,000 needed to file such a civic initiative.

Submitting the bill and the signatures, the associations' representatives underlined the need to address verbal and physical violence against people working in healthcare.

Data from the Faculty of Security Sciences collected in 2019 and data collected by the Medical Chamber suggest that 41% of healthcare workers have been subjected to physical violence and 89% to psychological violence, GP Nena Kopčavar Guček of the Medical Chamber told the press.

"Therefore, we are happy that Slovenian citizens have recognised our intention and the importance of this proposal. It comes down to creating a safe environment to treat patients," Kopčavar Guček said.

Litigation often only avenue

The existing legislation does not allow healthcare employees who have experienced physical violence but were not seriously injured to prosecute the perpetrators with the help of the state prosecution.

Litigation is the only course of action they can take after being slapped, kicked, spit on or verbally assaulted, while the prosecution only prosecutes assaults that result in serious injuries, Kopčavar Guček said.

Health workers can do most for their patients when they work in a safe environment, Darja Potočnik Benčič, the head of the Chamber of Pharmacy said. She intends to tell the decision-makers that a variety of systemic measures is needed to reduce violence in society.

Aleš Fischinger, a trauma surgeon who also teaches violence prevention, said that violence against people who are simply doing their job and cannot retreat to safety was a despicable act that requires similar sanctions as those prescribed in Croatia, Germany, Macedonia and the UK.

Prison sentences proposed

The Medical Chamber proposes assault or a serious threat to assault a health worker carry a prison sentence of between six months and three years.

The perpetrator who threatens a healthcare worker with a weapon or a dangerous object during the attack, mistreats them or may physically injure them should meanwhile get six months to five years in prison, they believe.

The aim of the new article is to equalise the status of healthcare workers with that of law enforcement officers. The chamber sees no reason why they should be treated differently.

Medical Chamber president Bojana Beović has recently told the Slovenian Press Agency that violence against health workers has increased considerably over the past ten years. While this is mainly verbal violence, there are many cases of physical violence as well, she said.

Beović expects that the National Assembly will support their proposal. "Healthcare workers are an important part of society and it would be wise to protect us," she said.