Poland’s government proposed tougher penalties for assaults on medical staff following a wave of violent attacks that have shocked the nation, including the fatal stabbing of a surgeon and multiple assaults on emergency workers, according to Euractiv.
The draft amendment to the Penal Code, published by the Justice Ministry, would impose prison sentences of three months to five years for attacks on public officials, including healthcare workers, who face life-threatening risks in their duties.
The push for legal reform follows several high-profile incidents this year. In late April, Dr Tomasz Sołecki, an orthopaedic surgeon at Kraków University Hospital, was stabbed to death by a patient during a consultation.
Days later, another Kraków doctor was assaulted by an intoxicated individual. Iwona Sitnik-Kornecka, spokesperson for Kraków Military Hospital, stated:
These situations, unfortunately, are everyday occurrences in hospital emergency departments. Most aggressors are patients under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
In Siedlce, a 64-year-old paramedic was fatally stabbed in January while treating a patient. Mateusz Komza, president of the National Chamber of Paramedics, lamented:
The penalties imposed on perpetrators are too lenient.
Further attacks include a nurse beaten in Pruszków and three emergency staff assaulted in Gdynia, though injuries were non-fatal. Health Minister Izabela Leszczyna condemned the violence on X.
Violence against those who dedicate their lives to saving ours is an act of barbarism and must be met with the most severe punishment.
Under current law, assaulting a public official carries penalty of fines, restricted liberty, or up to three years’ imprisonment. The proposed amendment would extend protections to medical rescuers, mountain and water rescue teams, and civilians intervening to save others, while increasing sentences for attacks that endanger lives or cause serious injury.
The violence sparked nationwide protests, including a minute’s silence for Dr Sołecki and a march in Warsaw demanding better protections. Dr Nino Berdzuli of the WHO Poland office warned: “Violence against healthcare workers isn’t just a workplace issue – it’s a public health crisis,” urging zero-tolerance policies.
