“Violence can be physical”: liberal doctors sound the alarm on the increase in attacks

Last August, after the attack on a doctor in Marseille, ten liberal doctors’ unions denounced in August an “alarming” and “unacceptable” increase in violence against practitioners, calling on the executive to take “urgent measures to protect them.” This violence continues and professionals continue to sound the alarm. Europe 1 went to meet them in Toulouse.

“The doctor no longer has the aura he had before”

The aggression begins as soon as the telephone is answered and Dany, a switchboard operator, has paid the price: “Eat your dead, fuck your mother, etc. This is verbal violence which is worse than before. It’s going to crescendo”.

This recent shift has been clearly noted by Dr. Krueger and his 30 years of experience. “These are patients who haven’t made an appointment and don’t want to leave. The violence can be physical. Sometimes you have to leave the office, or you call the cops. But sometimes you don’t can’t call because they’re threatening you. The doctor no longer has the aura he had before.

“There is no longer necessarily the same relationship with doctors”

A change in status also noted by Doctor Sohen, who increasingly has the impression of being considered as an automatic dispenser of administrative documents. “We sometimes have the impression of being considered a little bit like ticket counters and not necessarily as health professionals. We go from ‘I’m coming to get sick leave’ to ‘I want to be arrested’. This can happen to some doctors accept under pressure. There is no longer necessarily the same relationship with doctors.”

To adapt to this increasingly present violence, the Order of Physicians wants the generalization of the push button which allows the authorities to be directly alerted during the consultation.