Healthcare sector wants to combat sexual misconduct: ‘Patients who need care are on their vulnerable’

Around 25 vocational, industry and client associations have Thursday a care manifesto Signed during a congress in Amersfoort, to ‘boost a culture change in the sector. After the catering sector, sexual cross -border behavior is most common in healthcare. Mariëtte Hamer, the government commissioner sexual cross -border behavior and sexual violence, presented the Manifesto.

The signatories acknowledge that cross -border behavior in healthcare is an « urgent problem ». As an example, the authors of the Manifesto call « sexually tinted comments » and « gestures or touches, which the recipient experiences as cross -border ». Problems arise when, for example, a healthcare provider develops feelings for a patient, or vice versa. It is also raised that care providers will not be taught sufficiently during their training to set limits.

Last year the Healthcare and Youth Inspectorate (IGJ) received 330 reports From sexual cross -border behavior of care providers towards patients and clients. In 84 percent of the situations, patients ‘under the guise of medical actions’ were undesirable, sexually approached or even raped. In other situations, people in need of care had to undress unnecessarily.

Dependency

« Patients and clients may be on their vulnerable if they need care. They depend on their care provider, » write the compilers of the manifesto. Such behaviors can lead to (often permanent) personal damage and also absenteeism, legal proceedings, high costs and image damage for the care provider. Furthermore, they believe that people who report cross -border behavior should not be disadvantaged.

The healthcare sector wants to prevent trust in healthcare providers from falling, that talents leave the sector and decreases the work pleasure of doctors and nurses in a sector where staff shortages are a major problem.

The compilers of the Manifesto argue for an « open and transparent culture in which we make human feelings discussable and do not tolerate unwanted, harmful or inappropriate sexual behaviors. »

To share

Mail the editors