Violence against doctors, health workers a growing concern – Dr. Bux

Doctors, nurses and other workers in the healthcare sector have long grappled with sporadic cases of violence but Head of the Accident and Emergency Department at the Georgetown Public Hospital, Dr. Zulfikar Bux, says the threat has increased substantially.

“Interpersonal violence is now being brought into institutions like the (Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation).

“… we’ve had experiences over the years but my concern is that they are happening more frequently now,” Dr. Bux said at a GPHC press conference on Wednesday.

In June so far, there have been six instances that involved threats to staff of the A&E department.

This week, Dr. Bux said the assailant of a stabbing incident came to the department, seemingly hoping to continue attacking the victim who had gone there for treatment. The Head of Department said this disrupted the work of the critical hospital department, rendering workers unable to provide care to patients in need for some time.

There were other cases within the past two months that involved patients seeking treatment with weapons in their possession.

And Dr. Bux said the health workers are growing increasingly fearful for their safety and well-being.

The A&E department is a high-stress area which deals with patients in need of immediate medical attention. The GPHC’s Chief Executive Officer, Robbie Rambarran, said hostility and violence against healthcare workers at the hospital are concerns throughout the facility.

“It’s very challenging to deal with,” Rambarran lamented.

According to him, healthcare workers are receiving training to better de-escalate situations and improve their public relations abilities. Still, he believes it is unacceptable for healthcare workers to face verbal and physical violence.