Another ruthless attack on a doctor in Poland - this time the aggressor's victim was a psychiatrist from Koszalin, who was attacked by a man who claimed to have been her patient in the past. The man threatened the doctor with death. The woman was taken to the hospital with facial injuries and broken fingers.
Koszalin
Another act of aggression against a doctor at work
Published June 5, 2025 08:57
- We are reaping the harvest of inaction in the face of aggression toward doctors. Again, we were one step away from a tragedy, and from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration we hear only declarations of support and words of indignation. It's time for concrete action, because it can't be that doctors are afraid of their patients," says Michal Bulsa, president of the Regional Medical Council in Szczecin.
Physicians' outrage is growing, as not a week goes by without the public learning that a doctor, dentist or paramedic has been attacked. The health sector is subject to attacks of aggression from frustrated patients who do not always understand the system dependencies and blame doctors for, for example, queues or lack of treatment options.
- This is another example of patient aggression against the doctor. It is not our agreement that doctors cannot feel safe in their work. The task of those in power is to develop such a system of securing doctors, dentists and paramedics to ensure that patients have access to treatment, and at the same time that doctors are not afraid to work and see patients. We hear a lot of assurances, but the effectiveness of their implementation is not satisfactory," says Michal Bulsa, president of the Regional Medical Council.
Michal Bulsa points out another important factor in the discussion of physician safety.
- Patients who require psychiatric support should be given special care and protection. If we see that a patient is in a condition that indicates he may be dangerous to himself or to those around him, he should be monitored. Very often the patient leaves the hospital and disappears from the doctors' sight. Later, however, it may turn out that a person requiring psychiatric treatment will be the perpetrator of an attack. This is an important topic," says Michal Bulsa.
The Koszalin Regional Medical Council also spoke on the issue.
- This is an outrageous situation that saddens us greatly. This is not the first attack on the medics. It consists of many things that are in the media space. Medics are being blamed for the failures of the health care system, the public is very frustrated with what is happening, we are emotional about politics, for example. Emotions are being aroused in people that used to be absent. It was never the case that someone raised his hand against a doctor. The justice system is too slow, and many people have a sense of impunity when they insult or hit someone. This is unacceptable," says Katarzyna Krystosik-Lasecka, president of the Koszalin Regional Medical Council
- Danger is inherent in our profession, every doctor is aware of this, but we must prevent aggression. There is a great sadness in me. Doctors used to have a high authority, but today, unfortunately," says the president of the Koszalin Regional Medical Chamber.
The Regional Medical Council of Szczecin and the Regional Medical Council of Koszalin pledge psychological and legal support for the attacked doctor and, of course, psychological support.
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