Sevilla patient attacks doctor with faeces after being refused emergency care

Most of us have experienced a stressful or worrying situation at the doctor’s surgery at some point. But one patient in Sevilla took that stress and frustration a little too far after she opened a container of her own faeces and spread the contents across his desk when he told her that the tests she wanted could not be carried out immediately. The incident happened on Thursday morning at the Centro de Salud Amante Laffon in Sevilla. The patient had requested immediate attention and demanded several tests, including a stool analysis. 

After assessing her, the doctor determined that she did not have a medical emergency and advised her to see her usual doctor during an ordinary appointment.  Instead, she opened the container holding the sample and began spreading the faeces across the consultation desk in front of him. The incident forced the consultation to stop while cleaning and disinfection equipment was brought in. 

Doctor faces biological risk after attack

The incident was not treated simply as an argument between a patient and a doctor. The Sindicato Médico de Sevilla has activated the P13 occupational-risk protocol because of the biological risks created by deliberately spreading faecal material inside the consultation. The doctor is also preparing to report the incident through the official channels. 

The union has called for zero tolerance towards violence in healthcare centres and is again demanding effective measures from the Servicio Andaluz de Salud to protect medical staff.  The attack meant that ordinary medical activity at the centre was interrupted while the contaminated area was cleaned and disinfected. The union has highlighted the incident as another example of healthcare workers facing aggressive behaviour while trying to provide treatment.

Patient wanted tests carried out immediately

According to the Sindicato Médico de Sevilla, the woman arrived seeking immediate attention despite not displaying clinical signs of an emergency. She was demanding a series of examinations and tests, including a stool analysis for which she had not provided the required sample at the scheduled time. The doctor assessed her and concluded that there was no urgent condition requiring immediate intervention. 

He explained that the requested tests could not be performed immediately and directed her to her usual doctor for an ordinary consultation, where the appropriate tests could be requested. It was after this explanation that the patient opened the sample container and spread its contents over the doctor’s working area.

Third attack on healthcare staff in Sevilla

The incident has also raised concern because it is the third reported aggression against healthcare staff in the province in less than ten days, according to the Sindicato Médico de Sevilla.  On August 5, a family doctor at the Centro de Salud Príncipe de Asturias in Utrera was reportedly confronted by a patient demanding immediate attention and medication. According to the union, the woman struck a desk and door while making threats and insults. The doctor reported the incident to the Guardia Civil and subsequently went on medical leave. 

Then, on August 11, another incident was reported at a health centre in Pilas. A patient allegedly became aggressive after being told that a requested treatment was not an emergency that could be carried out outside its scheduled time. Staff reportedly activated the panic button and contacted the authorities.  The latest incident has therefore added to growing concern among doctors in Sevilla about aggressive behaviour in primary healthcare settings.

Union demands action from health service

The Sindicato Médico de Sevilla says frustration over waiting times and access to healthcare cannot be taken out on medical professionals. The organisation has criticised what it describes as poor management of delays in the healthcare system, saying that some patients treat non-urgent consultations as emergencies and that frustration can develop into threats, aggression and other dangerous behaviour towards staff. 

However, the union has stressed that delays or pressure on the healthcare system do not justify attacking those working in it. Its demand to the Servicio Andaluz de Salud is for concrete measures to protect doctors and other healthcare workers from violence. The union says aggression creates fear among staff and can ultimately damage the quality of care available to patients. 

Doctor to report extraordinary attack

The doctor involved in Thursday’s incident is expected to make a formal complaint, while the P13 procedure will record the occupational risk created by the incident. There is no indication that the doctor suffered a physical injury. The immediate consequences were the contamination of his workspace, the interruption of medical activity and the need for specialist cleaning and disinfection.

But the incident has left Sevilla’s medical union demanding action over a type of aggression that carries a biological risk as well as the wider threat posed by violence towards healthcare workers. For the doctor, what began as a consultation over whether tests could be performed immediately ended with his own patient’s sample being deliberately spread across his desk. The Sindicato Médico de Sevilla says that should never be considered an acceptable response to being told to wait for a routine appointment.