Over 55% of medical personnel consider their hospitals to be unsafe places to work due to violence, according to research by the Medical Council of Thailand.
The council conducted the survey on April 20-30 among 1,726 medical staff at both private and state-owned hospitals countrywide.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, there have been 51 cases of violence in hospitals between 2012 and 2019, but incidents have become are more frequent in the past five years.
Dr Passakorn Wanchaijiraboon, assistant secretary-general of the Medical Council of Thailand, who also headed the survey, said respondents asked the authority to impose measures to make hospitals safe and free from violence.
The survey showed 71% of violent incidents take place at state hospitals under the Ministry of Public Health.
Doctors were the most likely to have experienced violence at 75%, followed by 61% for nurses.
96% of participants agreed that alcohol is the main cause of the problem and 97% said that anyone under the influence should be barred from emergency rooms.
Meanwhile, 64% of interviewed doctors said that violence has made them think about leaving their jobs. Some 58% of nurses had the same response.
"The survey shows that medical staff will leave if they feel that there is no safety in their workplace," Dr Passakorn said.
Sukhum Karnchanapimai, the ministry's permanent secretary, has announced a "zero tolerance" policy on hospital violence going forwards.
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