State authorities have special responsibility to protect safety of health workers

Podgorica, Montenegro (20 February 2019) -- Every type of violence against health workers is unacceptable, which is why all competent state authorities have a special responsibility to guarantee full security for members of the medical profession, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Zoran Pažin at a meeting with representatives of the Union of Doctors of Medicine of Montenegro.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that the cases of violence the Union of Doctors of Medicine of Montenegro warned against clearly indicate the obligation of the society to protect the dignity and safety of doctors and medical personnel more strongly and decisively.

"I expect the Supreme Court to instruct the competent courts to tighten penal policies for all forms of violence against health workers. It is not enough for the perpetrators to be identified and apprehended after the violence has taken place. The severity of the sentences must ensure that violence does not occur at all," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

The meeting also discussed the way to establish a closer cooperation and faster communication between health institutions and the Police, with a view of providing a timely response of the police and effective protection of health workers.

Assistant Director of the Police Authority Nikola Janjušević, who also took part in the meeting at the invitation of DPM Pažin, voiced the Police's determination to establish, in cooperation with health institutions and the Union of Doctors of Medicine, a mechanism of even more timely assistance of police officers in all cases of endangering the safety of health workers.

The meeting noted that, before considering the need for a possible change of legislation, it is necessary to fully utilise all existing legal and institutional opportunities for effective protection of the safety and dignity of the medical profession.

It was also pointed out that trust in health care institutions and doctors should be nurtured and developed through raising public awareness of the great social importance and responsibility of the medical profession.