Tuscany, health: resolution proposal against attacks on staff approved

The resolution proposal regarding the actions of the Regional Council was approved by a majority vote in the Chamber combating the phenomenon of aggression against healthcare and social-healthcare professionals. The act, presented on the initiative of the Health Commission, received 23 votes in favor di Democratic Party, Italia Viva, 5 Star Movement, Mixed Group-Merito e Loyaltà; 11 votes against di League, Brothers of Italy, Forza Italia. The proposed resolution incorporates the amendment presented by the councilors Giovanni Galli (League) e Andrea Ulmi (Mixed Group - Merit and Loyalty). The related acts were rejected by the Chamber: the agenda presented by Diego Petrucci (FdI) and the motion signed by the opposition spokesperson Marco Landi (League).

The President of the Health Commission illustrated the proposed resolution Enrico Sostegni (Pd), who recalled the important work carried out by the Commission itself, "starting last year, on the issue of the safety of social-health personnel, through hearings of social partners, categories, health companies". "The act, which had a very long gestation - he explained Supports – wants to give a clear message of direction. It brings together all the interventions that can and should be implemented on the issues concerning the legal protection of health workers, the protocols with the Prefecture and Police Headquarters, the information measures for citizens and operators and training for the latter”.

The resolution reports the data recorded by the Regional Observatory of Aggressions which highlight, in recent years, a significant escalation: in fact, we have gone from the 752 attacks on healthcare personnel recorded in 2020, to 2356 in 2023. In the first half of 2024 there were 1136 episodes.

The proposed resolution commits the Regional Council "to urgently and fully implement all the provisions and measures to combat attacks on health workers provided for in the acts of the Council itself, informing the Regional Council". It also commits it to act towards the Government "so that it provides for the immediate stipulation and implementation of operational protocols with all law enforcement agencies in the regional territory and to find the necessary financial resources to be allocated to control and surveillance". It also commits the Council "to take action so that, pending the implementation of the protocols referred to in the previous point and also subsequently on the basis of an assessment to be carried out especially in the departments considered to be at greatest risk, we continue to invest in the use of special sworn guards within health facilities as far as it is competent". Finally, it calls for the implementation of "support measures for the legal protection of personnel who are victims of aggression in order to pursue ever greater uniformity and homogeneity in the application of legal procedures relating to the aggressions suffered, so that all those practicing health and social-health professions can access adequate legal support and fair treatment in all phases of the procedure".

To open the debate in the Chamber Andrea Ulmi who highlighted how the proposed resolution concerns "a topic that must overcome ideological disputes". "It is important that our health workers and doctors feel protected by politics in their work - he said -. The Government and the Region have repeatedly prepared measures, written laws and resolutions to support them: the problem is national. Compared to the first draft of the text of the act, additions have been made and I believe that the outcome is a good compromise".

Diego Petrucci (FdI) spoke of “a biased, demagogic and instrumental document, which we are not willing to share”. “We believe that this issue cannot be addressed without a precise and scientific mapping of how, when and where the episodes of aggression occur. And, on the basis of this, differentiate the level of surveillance presence – he said –. Not all hospitals and departments are equally exposed. The attacks occur mainly in emergency rooms and health departments, during the Friday and Saturday night time slot”. “The responsibility for the situation lies with those who have governed the Region badly for all these years – he then added –. The episodes of violence, which must be condemned in the most rigorous and severe way possible, are often caused by an incorrect organization of the spaces in emergency rooms, even in new generation hospitals, which to date are already dilapidated”.

“Everyone should have the honesty to recognize that the problem of aggression is not Tuscan but national,” he said Donatella Spadi (Pd). “I am sorry that health issues are being exploited to create political opposition – he added –. Unfortunately, society and the perception of certain professions have changed: in the emergency room, work is based on needs and priorities, not on a first-come, first-served basis. Citizens should be educated about this system constantly. The agreement with Police Headquarters and Prefectures is fundamental, as is standardizing the legal protection of operators in regional health facilities. This is why the proposed resolution we are presenting is balanced and wise”.

“It amazes me that one can justify one of the most hateful and unbearable phenomena, such as attacks on staff, because it is assumed that an injury has been suffered due to the size of the room or the length of the wait,” he stated. Andrea Vannucci (Pd) – . On a battle like this, propaganda should be kept out of the door. In the Commission we worked with this spirit and collaborated to present an act that comes from profoundly different cultural backgrounds. Let's discuss the issues and work in the interest of the Tuscan citizens and the health workers who do an extraordinary job, which must be defended through investments in safety, but also through a demonstration of profound respect and gratitude”.