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Amid a troubling rise in violence against medical professionals across Italy, the Italian Army will begin providing security for hospital staff in the southern region of Calabria starting Monday, according to local media reports. The decision follows a series of violent incidents, particularly in the southern part of the country, that have escalated in frequency and severity.
Prefect Paolo Giovanni Grieco has approved an increased military presence at sensitive locations, including the main hospital in Vibo Valentia. Soldiers will now assist in guarding medical staff to ensure their safety. This comes after the national guild representing doctors called for military intervention due to the unprecedented levels of violence in hospitals, particularly in emergency rooms.
The situation reached a critical point in September when an attack occurred at the Policlinico hospital in Foggia. Following the death of a patient, a group of individuals violently assaulted hospital staff. Video footage from the incident shows doctors and nurses scrambling for safety, with some suffering injuries. This marked the third attack on the hospital’s emergency room staff within a week, leading the hospital’s director to threaten closure of the department if the violence continued.
Italy has witnessed a sharp increase in aggression towards healthcare professionals in recent years, with over 16,000 cases of physical and verbal assaults reported in 2023 alone. “We have never seen such levels of aggression in the past decade,” said Antonio De Palma, president of the Nursing Up union, highlighting the urgency of the crisis.
In response, the Italian Federation of Medical-Scientific Societies has proposed severe legal penalties for individuals who attack healthcare workers, calling for stronger deterrents amid the growing hostility.
The surge in violence is driven by several factors, including staff shortages and lengthy wait times in emergency departments. Nearly half of emergency medicine positions went unfilled in 2022, and many healthcare professionals have emigrated from Italy, seeking better working conditions and opportunities abroad. The shortage of healthcare workers reached a critical point in 2023, with a deficit of 30,000 doctors, exacerbating the pressure on the country’s healthcare system. In addition, the closure of numerous hospitals and emergency rooms over the past decade has further intensified the burden on remaining facilities.
The violence, paired with deteriorating working conditions, has led to widespread calls for government action. Many medical professionals have warned that the current situation is unsustainable and poses a significant risk to both staff and patients. The deployment of the military is seen as a temporary, albeit necessary, measure to address the immediate threat while long-term solutions to improve staffing and working conditions are explored.
As hospitals across Italy brace for further attacks, the involvement of the military underscores the severity of the crisis and the urgent need for reform in the country’s healthcare system.
