STATEMENT
2017
24th ZEVA SYMPOSIUM OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN CHAMBERS OF PHYSICIANS

LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA, 14-15 SEPTEMBER 2017

HOSTED BY THE POLISH CHAMBER OF PHYSICIANS AND DENTISTS


LJUBLJANA STATEMENT OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN CHAMBERS OF PHYSICIANS


Resoltuion on violence against physicians


Taking into consideration the growing discrepancy between the expectations among the European population of easy access to a wide scope of high-quality healthcare services and the capacity of healthcare systems to provide them;


the increasing impact of economic forces and financial constraints on the healthcare services are causing lack of workforce in healthcare systems;


the fact that it might be difficult for patients to make a distinction between political decisions and healthcare policies, on the one hand, and the competencies and personal responsibilities of healthcare workers on the other;


the fact that physicians as a profession in practice in most countries do not enjoy the benefits of national legislation focused on safety in the workplace;


all these are resulting in the fact that attacks on healthcare workers and obstruction of healthcare provision are taking place in member states;


the representatives of the Central and Eastern European Chambers of Physicians gathered in Ljubljana have adopted the following statement:


  • only a safe healthcare working environment guarantees safe, professional and high-quality healthcare for patients;
  • like everyone else, physicians also have the right to a safe workplace;
  • violence against physicians must be taken very seriously by administrations in all medical facilities and must be dealt with effectively by police, prosecutors and judges;
  • violence prevention plans have to be developed both at the national level and by healthcare institutions;
  • incidents of violence must be documented methodically using a reporting system provided by governments and healthcare institutions;
  • a transparent and clear policy of zero tolerance of violence against healthcare professionals must be introduced at all levels of the healthcare sector and this policy should be supported publicly;
  • physicians' training must be enhanced in order to better equip medical professionals to deal with and de-escalate threatening situations;
  • national and European legislation must provide effective protection for physicians who encounter aggression while fulfilling their professional duty and raise awareness of the vulnerability of physicians, particularly in high-pressure situations.


Bearing in mind the significance of the above-mentioned considerations for the safety and well-being of physicians in terms of their impact on the future of the medical professionals and the quality of healthcare services, the signatories of this document urge healthcare professionals, legislators and administrators to work together and to support, promote and expand the safety of physicians in the workplace.


The Chambers of Physicians of Central and Eastern European Countries consider the safety of physicians to be an essential factor for ensuring the provision of high-quality healthcare.





Ljubljana, 16 September 2017





CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN CHAMBERS OF PHYSICIANS ATTENDING THE MEETING:


Order of Physicians of Albania
Austrian Medical Chamber
Federal Medical Chamber BiH (umbrella association of 10 canton chambers)
The Republic of Srpska Medical Association
Bulgarian Medical Association
Croatian Medical Chamber
Czech Medical Chamber
German Medical Association (federation of 17 state chambers of physicians)
Chamber of Physicians of Kosovo
Doctor's Chamber of Macedonia
Polish Chamber of Physicians and Dentists
Romanian College of Physicians
Serbian Medical Chamber
Slovak Medical Chamber
Medical Chamber of Slovenia