Bratislava, 23 October (TASR) – The number of police officers at A&E departments will be stepped up as of Friday, stated Health Minister Kamil Sasko on the same day, adding that he’s agreed this with Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (both Voice-SD).
        Sasko was responding to attacks on health-care workers. He’s also instructing the directors of state-run hospitals to implement four key measures.
        “The police will monitor high-risk situations and intervene immediately against violent behaviour. Both medical staff and patients themselves must feel safe in A&E departments,” said Sasko, adding that following an attack on a nurse at Kramare hospital in Bratislava he ordered an assessment of how well A&E departments in state hospitals are protected. “At the same time, I ordered the immediate drafting of a uniform standard for protecting health-care staff and patients. We’re working on this in collaboration with the Interior Ministry and the Police Corps,” he said.
        The health minister has instructed the directors of state-run hospitals to introduce four basic measures. The first of these is panic buttons. “We’ll roll these out and link them to the central security desk or the security service. Help will thus arrive immediately, throughout the entire operating hours of the A&E department,” he said. The second measure is an audible alarm. When an emergency button is pressed, an alarm signal is triggered on the spot.
        The third measure involves practical training for designated staff so that they can recognise risks in good time, defuse a conflict, call for help and protect themselves in the event of a threat. The training will be led by certified instructors with practical experience. “At the same time, we’re also preparing to strengthen physical security and response teams for A&E departments, as well as CCTV surveillance of entrances and public areas at high-risk workplaces,” stated Sasko, adding that, taken together, this will create a comprehensive system to protect health-care workers from violence. The plan is to evaluate and improve the system on an ongoing basis in collaboration with health-care workers.
        An incident occurred at the A&E department of the hospital in the Bratislava borough of Ruzinov on Friday morning in which a man attacked medical staff. The police arrested the attacker, a 34-year-old Irish national, upon arriving at the scene. A hospital employee sustained injuries to the face during the incident. Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka has responded by saying that yet another attack on health-care workers in such a short space of time confirms a systemic failure to protect health-care staff while they are carrying out their duties.