Alberto Lejarraga
A PREGNANT doctor has been assaulted by a patient’s relative at Malaga’s Virgen de la Victoria Hospital.
The victim, who is 5 months pregnant, is said to have been pushed to the ground by the angry family member at the hospital’s emergency room.
It has been reported that the assailant, who was accompanied by two other relatives although only one person is allowed to stay with a patient at the emergency room, started behaving aggressively towards the doctor and violently pushed her to the ground.
When the woman was on the floor, the furious aggressor threw a punch at her, but the hit was stopped by another doctor, who happened to be the victim’s husband.
The hero doctor managed to reduce the attacker, who started throwing punches and kicks at him until a security guard arrived.
The hospital has stated that the security officer could not tackle the incident earlier because he was dealing with another six relatives of the same patient that had unauthorisedly entered the emergency room screaming and refusing to leave the premises.
The assailant managed to run away from the hospital but both doctors have filed complaints at a Malaga police station.
The victim had also been threatened by another patient the day before the assault.
In 2023, there has been a total of 22 assaults on doctors only in Malaga hospitals.
“Assaults are a constant and hard reality in Malaga health centres and hospitals, mostly this summer,” Malaga Doctors’ Union (SMM) said in a statement.
Last year, the number of violent acts suffered by medical professionals in Spain hit a new high, with a total 843 physical or verbal assaults registered.
Read more:
- No respect: Figures show assaults on doctors are on the rise in Spain
- Valencia health centre in Spain closed after violent assaults on doctors and medical staff
- Doctors union predicts ‘chaotic’ summer caused by staff shortages and big tourist influx to Spain’s Balearic Islands
