ABUSE OF HEALTHCARE EMPLOYEES

14 May 2013

Question No. 498

Name of Person: Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan

Question

To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many cases of physical and verbal abuse of healthcare employees (nurses, non-nurses and doctors) are reported by each of our healthcare institutions annually in the last 10 years; (b) what is the Ministry doing to ensure that healthcare employees are adequately protected and defended against such abuses; and (c) what are the actions taken against those who physically or verbally abuse healthcare employees.

Answer

While most patients and their family members are appreciative of the hard work and good care provided by our public healthcare staff, the number of cases of physical and verbal abuse towards healthcare staff has risen in recent years.  Based on available data from the public hospitals, the number of cases which were reported to the Police increased from 16 in 2010^[1] to 33 in 2012.    

Our public hospitals take a serious view of this and have measures in place to protect healthcare staff from abuse.  Signs are displayed prominently to remind visitors to treat healthcare staff with respect.  Healthcare staff are also trained to assess and de-escalate potential conflicts and manage abusive situations.  They are empowered to alert security officers for immediate assistance.  If necessary, police intervention may be further sought and charges may be pressed against individuals who continue to behave abusively. 

The Ministry of Health does not condone any abusive behaviour towards our healthcare staff.  While it is understandable that patients and their family members may face stress and anxiety, we would like to remind the public that our healthcare staff are doing their best to provide good care for patients, and they should be treated with respect under all circumstances. 

^[1] Data for all public hospitals only available from 2010 onwards.