Aggressioni in corsia: quando la violenza è ignorata e la giustizia tace

Nurses, the backbone of the healthcare system, face complex and sometimes dangerous situations every day. But beyond work pressure, many of them find themselves having to face an even harsher reality: physical and verbal assaults. Stories of insults, punches, shoves are commonplace, and justice often seems to turn its back on them.

In this article, we tell a true story, one of many that show how difficult it is to be a nurse in Italy today.

An ordinary day, seemingly without tension. A patient, for whom no escalation of anger was expected, is called for a blood draw. The nurse asks him to follow him to the clinic, and everything seems to be going smoothly. The patient gets up, showing no signs of discomfort. But as soon as they reach the clinic door, the fuse is lit. Without any warning, the situation escalates: the patient explodes in a violent attack, assaulting the nurse.

The security guard intervenes, but the damage is already done. The procedure follows the usual script: medical report, days of forced rest, and finally the complaint.

The nurse, wounded not only in body but also in soul, decides to take legal action. The assault cannot and must not go unpunished. But here comes the second, painful surprise: the day of the hearing with the justice of the peace.

Before the judge, the public defender of the assailant states with disarming ease: "My client doesn't have a euro. If the complainant is looking for money, he picked the wrong person." A statement that leaves the nurse, victim of the assault, incredulous. It's not a matter of money, as he reiterates to the judge. He doesn't want financial compensation. What he seeks is simple: to be able to work in peace, without the fear of being assaulted by violent people.

The judge, instead of grasping the seriousness of the situation, merely asks the nurse why he was not accompanied by a lawyer. A question that sounds like a further mockery, as if justice itself were uninterested in ensuring safety and respect for those who work on the front lines every day to save lives.

Disappointed and humiliated, the nurse leaves the courtroom with a bitter sense of dismay. Not only did he have to endure a physical assault, but he also found himself mocked by a judicial system that seems not to protect those who should be protected. The question he asks himself is simple: where are we going? In which direction are we moving as a society if those who dedicate themselves with sacrifice and passion to caring for others are not even protected by the institutions?

Moral of the story: being a nurse today means not only facing the stress of an already difficult job, but also living with the insecurity and frustration of knowing that, in case of assault, they might be left alone. Justice, which should be on their side, often seems distant, uninterested, and, in cases like this, even mocking.

The real question we should ask ourselves is: what are we doing to protect those who take care of us every day? If the answer is nothing, then the situation is more serious than we imagine.

Nurse, Dr. N. C.