While violence against health professionals is sharply increasing, Minister Delegate Agnès Firmin-Le Bodo has just announced the implementation of a government plan with strong measures, such as video surveillance in establishments and creation of an offense of contempt.
- Faced with the rise in violence against health professionals, the government will launch a plan next November.
- An offense of contempt for liberal professionals could be instituted and video surveillance put in place in establishments.
- These actions should contribute to strengthening the provision of care, the difficulty of access to doctors being one of the causes of this violence.
“The need to protect those who care for us” : this is how the government, through the voice of the Minister Delegate in charge of Territorial Organization and Health Professions, Agnès Firmin-Le Bodo, explains the urgency of responding to the increase in acts of violence against health professionals. More than 1,200 incidents recorded in 2022 against doctors, 30,000 attacks on staff in healthcare establishments, including 45% targeting nurses, show that these professions must face increasing aggression.
September 29 on RMCthe minister developed a plan based on three pillars: awareness and training of health professionals, security of practices and care establishments and support for victims.
Video surveillance in establishments
“Zero tolerance must be the norm, we have no right to attack those who take care of us”said Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, announcing a campaign which will be launched next November, integrating the training of 150,000 health professionals in the management of aggression and first aid for mental health.
“The second axis is to think about the buildings we build in terms of security, perhaps even installing video protection cameras”, continued the minister. A point already put forward by Dr François Arnault who, in the show “Health in Questions”, had mentioned this possibility while recognizing that it could pose a confidentiality problem if it were implemented in medical practices.
An offense of contempt for liberal professionals
But it is the third part of this plan which is undoubtedly the most spectacular since the government announces the creation of an offense of contempt for liberal professionals. “There will be appropriate sanctions,” warns Agnès Firmin-Le Bodo, “we are responding to strong demand”. Another novelty on the judicial aspect of this plan for the safety of health professions, the fact that directors of establishments will be able to file complaints on behalf of agents “if they do not wish it for fear of reprisals”.
“Giving young people the desire to do these jobs”
The matter is important. The increase in these attacks against health professions, if it is linked to a general increase in violence in society, is also, according to the president of the Order, a consequence of a “catastrophic medical demographics” which makes it increasingly difficult for millions of patients to obtain a medical appointment, which contributes to the rise of exasperation in waiting rooms. And the government also makes this link: “The desire to hire doctors is there, but the difficulty is that we have neither the doctors nor the nurses trained for the vacant positions and if we want to give young people the desire to do these jobs , we must take up this subject; we know there is a problem, we provide answers”said Agnès Firmin-Le Bodo.
