translated from Spanish: More than 900 assaults were reported on Minsal officials

The Undersecretary of Assistance Networks, Arturo Zúñiga, together with the Medical College, the Confusam and the Chilean Association of Municipalities, asked the parliamentarians to approve the Safe Office Bill, considering the more than 900 assaults on health officials have been held during this year in various health centres in the country.
“There is no justification for the acts of violence that are occurring in health facilities. This year alone we have more than 900 records of attacks on officials. That is, three daily aggressions that we can no longer tolerate. We call on the Senate Constitution Committee, which has shown goodwill to deal with the project with immediate discussion,” the undersecretary said.
Zuñiga made the request during the security desk made up of representatives of the Undersecretariat of Crime Prevention, Medical College, Confusam and the Chilean Association of Municipalities, where they will establish different actions and guidelines for prevent aggression in health facilities.
Among the measures to be taken into account are being implemented are the installation of security cameras and panic buttons in establishments with greater criticality, and instructive for the directors of the care facilities with officials victims of violence, execute appropriate legal actions.
For his part, the vice-president of the Medical College, Patricio Meza, assured that the legal initiative is required to improve the conditions of care for users. “We have to look for health spaces free of violence, because it is not only against health officials, but against the rest of the users who are on the waiting lists, so we call on parliamentarians to increase the degree of penalty against those who assault officials. The call is to improve public health among all.”
For her part, Gabriela Flores, president of Confusam, argued that on the days of commemoration of festivities, events of violence against health teams in different areas of the country continued to be recorded.
“We ask senators to urgently legislate this bill that will protect public health officials. We also call on the public to see officials as friends, we are public servants because we are to give the best attention.”
Meanwhile, Paulina Rodríguez, national head of the Victim Support Program of the Undersecretariat Prevention of Crime, reiterated the call to pass the law and highlighted the coordinated work at the national level through the security desks installed in the 29 services of health of the country.

Original source in Spanish