Essay competition: The growing trend of violence perpetrated by patient relatives in health-care settings – why?
Violence against health-care has been a growing humanitarian issue with long-term and widespread effects. Attacks against health-care workers, hospitals and ambulances cause disruption in their services, often even depriving people of life-saving treatment. Doctors, nurses, paramedics and ambulance drivers are the most vulnerable to attack by attendants and relatives of patients. In addition to this, numerous other socio-economic and political factors have also resulted in the lack of adequate medical facilities within the country.
Understanding violence against health-care involves looking at the different forms that this can take, the potential victims, and the possible explanations for such violence. Only after fully comprehending this issue can practical solutions for it be realized.
The following two reports in connection to this issue have been published by the ICRC:
- Violence against health care: Results from a multi-centre study in Karachi
- Towards protecting health care in Karachi: A legal review
The essay contributors are expected to focus on any specific or multiple dimensions of this aspect of Pakistani society.
