In 2021, 1009 attacks on doctors were reported in France, according to the last report of the National Council of the Order of Physicians (CNOM) published this Tuesday, July 26, 2022.
A figure up from 2020 (when 955 incidents were recorded) and probably well below the reality: thus, CNOM professionals estimate that only 30% of attacks are reported.
Women doctors particularly targeted
The majority of these assaults (61%) were suffered by general practitioners. Next come, far behind, cardiologists (6%), psychiatrists (3%), ophthalmologists (2%) and dermatologists (2%). Most often (in 54% of cases), the aggressor is a patient.
These are generally verbal attacks (70% of cases): threats, insults, harassment… More rarely, doctors suffer physical attacks, theft or vandalism.
The main causes of the assaults range from “reproaches relating to care” to “refusal of prescription” through “waiting time deemed excessive”. More specifically, in 2021, 35 attacks took place in a context of non-compliance with health rules and 24 were perpetrated by opponents of anti-Covid vaccination.
Unfortunately (but unsurprisingly), it is mainly female doctors who suffer these attacks (they represent 53% of cases). Attacks against doctors mainly take place in towns (51% of cases); the regions most affected are Hauts-de-France, then Île-de-France and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
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