New bill takes aim at medical personnel violence

Amendment to Penal Law proposed by MK Nahmias-Verbin to increase maximal sentences for violence committed against medical staff to 7 years, set minimum sentence at 6 months; MK Ben-Ari to contact Minister Litzman to increase security in hospitals.

Rotem Elizera and Israel Moskowitz|Published: 10.09.17 , 23:35

MK Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin (Zionist Union) announced her intentions of putting forward a bill to increase penalties for offenses committed against hospital and medical personnel when the Knesset returns from recess and reconvenes for its winter session.

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"We've witnessed an ever-growing wave recently of violent attacks committed by patients and their family members on the person of hospital and medical clinic personnel due to professional decisions the latter had made," read the preamble to the bill wishing to amend the Penal Law.

Doctors protesting violence visited on them by patients (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Nahmias-Verbin's bill will endeavor to raise maximum sentences from five to seven years, as well as set a minimum sentence bar of six months, reflecting an attitude of zero tolerance towards hospital violence.

"We've witnessed an escalation in violence against health system employees. Back in March of this year a nurse named Tova Kararo was murdered by a patient, and we took to drafting a bill aimed at strengthening deterrence against the increasing peril medical staff finding themselves in," said MK Nahmias-Verbin.

Nurse Tova Kararo was murdered by one of her former patients

MK Meirav Ben-Ari (Kulanu), a member of the Knesset's Labor, Welfare and Health Committee, also addressed the issue of patients attacking their caretakers.

Dr. Bassem Tarabieh was also attacked by a patient

"I intend to contact (Health) Minister (Yaakov) Litzman to beef up security in our hospitals and even create a lobby in the coming Knesset session to put together recommendations on how to deal with this calamity," she said.

On a related matter, dozens of doctors and nurses held a protest in Tiberias protesting a patient attacking Dr. Bassem Tarabieh. Doctors stood at the entrance to a Clalit Health Services clinic in the city, calling the state to exacerbate punishments for attacking medical personnel, a matter that may be resolved should MK Nahmias-Verbin's proposed bill be enacted.