Violence Against Medical Professionals: 8 Cases of Bodily Harm in 2025

For the first quarter of 2025, the prosecution has initiated eight proceedings for causing bodily harm to medical professionals - a worrying trend that highlights the increasing tension and violence directed against healthcare workers. This data was reported by Dr. Nikolay Branzalov, chairman of the Bulgarian Medical Association (BLS), citing information from the prosecution. He opened the forum "Medical Professionals in the Crosshairs: How to Heal Sick Trust?". The event is part of the National Campaign of the professional organization against violence against medical professionals #BeatTheAnger.

The forum, which is held within the framework of this campaign, aims to draw attention to the problem of aggression against medical specialists and to offer solutions for dealing with it. The atmosphere in the hall was tense, palpable with the weight of the topic.

Compared to the previous year, in 2024 there has been a decrease in cases of attacks, reaching a total of ten, Dr. Branzalov added. However, he noted that in 2022, the prosecution initiated 13 proceedings for causing bodily harm to a medical professional, which shows the existence of the problem over the years.

In recent years, the BLS has made significant efforts to protect medical professionals, explained Dr. Branzalov. He emphasized that the main goal has been to raise public awareness of this problem. "We have concluded an agreement with the prosecution to ensure a faster and more adequate response from the institutions. We have created a mechanism for reporting signals and conducted training to deal with aggression in the workplace," he added.

Criminal practice is also subject to analysis. In 2022, 17 penalties were imposed, including four effective sentences, revealed Dr. Branzalov. In 2023, the number of penalties was 12, with predominantly suspended sentences. In 2024, there were 13, which indicates the sustainability of the problem. For the first quarter of 2025 alone, there are already four penalties, which suggests that the trend may continue.

There is also good news. It is important to note that for this period there was not a single loss of human life of a medical professional as a result of an attack. In addition, no persons have been acquitted after being charged, emphasized the chairman of the BLS.