Patient at Insular Hospital in Gran Canaria arrested for verbally assaulting healthcare staff
The National Police arrested the patient following months of threats and intimidation towards staff at Insular Hospital in Gran Canaria. He was detained upon discharge after ignoring police warnings.
Arrested following months of verbal violence against healthcare workers at Insular Hospital
The National Police have detained a patient at Insular Hospital in Gran Canaria as a suspected perpetrator of a crime of assault against a public official. According to ABC, the arrested man was responsible for repeated episodes of threats, insults and intimidation directed at the healthcare staff of the centre during the time he remained hospitalised.
The investigation was opened following several complaints filed by healthcare professionals from the ward where the patient had been admitted since November. The complainants described a pattern of sustained verbal violence and intimidatory conduct that extended throughout his hospital stay.
According to the professionals who filed the complaints, the patient frequently created situations of tension with both the centre's staff and other patients, displaying an attitude contrary to the hospital's internal regulations. On several occasions it was necessary for the private security service to intervene to contain the incidents and restore order.
One of the most serious episodes recorded in the complaints occurred when the arrested man began to berate a roommate with reduced mobility, whilst also addressing healthcare staff present in an aggressive manner.
Following the initial complaints, officers from the National Police travelled to Insular Hospital to identify the individual involved, interview him and urge him to modify his behaviour. The warnings had no effect: the person under investigation maintained his threatening and intimidatory attitude without heeding the police requirements.
Once the patient was discharged from hospital, officers proceeded to his arrest. He remains in custody as the suspected perpetrator of a crime of assault against a public official, a legal provision in Spain that protects healthcare professionals against acts of violence or intimidation in the exercise of their duties.
Source: ABC