A report by the Health Ministry on violence in government hospitals published this week showed that so far in 2021, there were 4,631 incidents, which is about 15 cases every day. In 2020, the number stood at 5,300 incidents.
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Of the 4,631 incidents, 488 were violent: 252 involved physical violence, 115 included threats, and 121 verbal violence or property damage. In contrast, there were 659 violent incidents recorded last year, with 306 involving physical violence, 128 involving threats, and 225 verbal violence or property damage.
On Wednesday, the National Association of Nurses convened for an emergency meeting to discuss ways to ensure the safety of healthcare workers nationwide.
According to an Israel Hayom analysis, the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center reported 249 incidents, 11 of which involved physical violence and 11 included threats. The Laniado Hospital in Netanya reported 330 incidents, 9 of which involved physical violence and 15 included threats. CEO of Laniado Nadav Chen called for "a fast-tracked legislation that would impose stricter punishments on those who assault medical workers."
The Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem reported 11 violent incidents in 2021. According to the hospital, security personnel prevented another 11 more incidents from escalating.
The Hadassah Medical Center, also in Jerusalem, reported dozens of violent incidents, including an attack on staff by the son of a patient in the intensive care unit.
The Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan reported 944 incidents since the beginning of the year. "Violence against medical staff across the country has crossed every line and must be stopped," Director Arnon Afek said. "What started out as a local problem of the health system has become a nationwide phenomenon."
The Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot reported incidents daily. "Not a shift goes by without violence," a nurse from the hospital's emergency department said. "Not a day goes by without alerting security to protect us from patients or relatives. We feel that the situation has crossed every line. We serve the community and we deserve to be protected."
The Assuta Hospital in Ashdod did not report violent incidents but did report dozens of cases of verbal abuse.
The Shamir Medical Center in Be'er Ya'akov said that disagreements and the exchange of curses have become routine. The Wolfson Medical Center in Holon reported dozens of cases as well, including an assault of one of its employees by family members who were asked to make their way to the bomb shelter during a siren that went off in May during the latest conflict with Hamas but refused.
The Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya reported 159 violent incidents. The Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa reported 1,566 incidents, 80 of which involved alerting the police.
Also on Wednesday, President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal toured hospitals in northern Israel.
"I stay updated on the recent escalation of violence throughout the country. The events we have seen in recent days … are shocking and severe. It cannot be that Israelis do not feel safe in the place that should feel the safest for them. How can it be that a place we go to receive life-saving treatments becomes the place that puts our lives in danger? How did we get here?
"We must condemn this violence in every way possible," he said.
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