Third of healthcare workers suffer violence: survey

ISLAMABAD: Over a third of healthcare providers have experienced some form of violence in the last six months and there is a need to adopt a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy towards such violence.

This was stated by a study conducted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in collaboration with a local research institution and other partners on Friday.

The National Survey on Violence against Healthcare Workers covered some 8,579 healthcare workers in 16 districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), Sindh, Punjab and Islamabad to determine the extent, causes and types of violence that are experienced by healthcare staff at different levels.

The survey also examined the existing policies to protect healthcare officials who are working across all levels and in different institutions.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2019.