In 2024, doctors in France faced a disturbing increase in violence, both verbal and physical, in their daily exercise. The order of doctors sounds alarm on this critical situation which affects both firms and hospitals.
An alarming increase of 26 % in 2024, doctors were ringing alarm
The latest report of the Observatoire de la safety security of doctors reports an increase of 26 % of attacks in 2024. In total, 1,758 facts were reported, the equivalent of seven attacks per day as the National Council of the Order of Physicians points out: “In three years, the number of assaults has almost doubled, confirming that these are no longer isolated events, but a structural problem that weakens the entire medical profession“.
© Observatory for Doctors Safety – Ipsos
Number of incidents reported by doctors
The majority of the facts identified are verbal violence (71 %), followed by physical violence (16 %) and threats (13 %). For the order, the situation is now critical: “Violence against doctors is no longer an alert, it is a daily reality“.
The main reasons for attacks include “criticisms concerning care” (32 %of cases), refusals to issue prescriptions (17 %), and waiting times or appointments considered too long (8 %). Falsification of documents, such as orders or certificates, formerly infrequent, is now “a quarter of the incidents”.
General practitioners on the front line, but all concerned
More than one in two reports concerns general practitioners (55 %). The latter, in direct and regular contact with patients, are particularly exposed. But other specialties are also among the most affected: psychiatrists, emergency workers, occupational physicians and pediatricians. “”And 2024 marks the emergence of new disciplines exposed, such as endocrinology, rheumatology, geriatrics, cancerology or physical medicine and rehabilitation. This development shows that the whole medical profession is today vulnerable to violence“Reports the National Council of the Order of Doctors.
The Council of the Order insists on the urgency of a collective response: “We call for collective mobilization to protect those who treat“.
File a complaint remains a minority despite the Pradal law
Despite the severity of the facts, only 35 % of attacked doctors file a complaint. Many evoke the complexity of the steps or the fear of reprisals. The Pradal law, adopted in 2025 (but some decrees still lack), nevertheless strengthened the protection of caregivers by aggravating the sanctions for violence against them. It will also allow directors of the establishment and the order of doctors to file a complaint in place of the victim. But in fact, doctors often remain alone in the face of their attacker.