Appointment dispute at hospital in Diyarbakır: Medical secretary assaulted by patient's relative

In Diyarbakır province, another incident of violence against healthcare workers has been added. The incident, which took place at Gazi Yaşargil Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, came to the agenda when a person who did not want to comply with the hospital appointment system attacked the officer who reminded them of the rules. The incident revealed how sensitive the relatives of patients are regarding waiting times in emergency services or outpatient clinics and appointment procedures, and how a small disagreement can turn into a physical altercation.

According to the details of the incident, a person who wanted to apply to the hospital outpatient clinics but did not have a pre-appointment reacted when their examination request was rejected. The personnel, working as a medical secretary, warned that the patient registration system did not allow examination without an appointment and that they had to comply with the rules to ensure the workflow did not fail. However, this warning was not accepted by the person who wanted to be treated without an appointment, and the verbal argument quickly escalated into a physical attack.

The medical secretary, who was trying to implement the procedures specified by the chief physician's office, was assaulted with physical force by the patient's relative. The intervention of the hospital's security guards and other personnel to separate the parties, stop the attacker, and forward the necessary complaints to the authorities ensured that the tension in the environment decreased, albeit a little. In healthcare institutions where such situations are frequently experienced, it has been understood once again how critical preventive security measures are.

This attack acutely revealed that healthcare workers face the risk of violence not only during treatment processes but also during administrative and registration procedures. Although the Ministry of Health and relevant authorities continue their work on deterrent penalties and increased security against the rising incidents of violence in hospitals in the recent period, the incidents on the ground indicate that existing measures may be insufficient. The fact that medical secretaries and patient admission personnel are targeted, even though they are only responsible for implementing systemic rules, has become a social problem.

Following this incident, the hospital administration and health unions condemned the physical and verbal attack and announced that the legal process regarding the issue had been initiated. While an investigation was launched regarding the incident, it was stated that the condition of the healthcare worker who was attacked was good and that the necessary treatment was administered. It was emphasized that all segments of society need to be more sensitive regarding hospital rules and respect for healthcare workers, and it was noted that legal processes will be followed meticulously to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.