Within 4 days, we witnessed a second attack on a paramedic from the Center for Combatting Organized Crime - Veliko Tarnovo, and within less than a month, a third aggression against a colleague in Veliko Tarnovo region.

On January 18, 2026, while on duty in the Emergency Medical Aid Branch - Polski Trambesh, our colleague paramedic was subjected to aggression by a patient while providing him with emergency medical care. A report was sent to the police, who reacted immediately. The attacker was detained and pre-trial proceedings were initiated in the case.

The Bulgarian Union of Medical Assistants and Paramedics (UBLAF) warns that violence against medical professionals has become a worrying trend, and the lack of adequate protection for workers in emergency centers puts our colleagues at constant risk. We are concerned that if this trend is not stopped in time, the next case may not end "only" with hits. Violence against healthcare professionals is a threat both to their personal safety and to the safety and health of patients and society as a whole.

We call on all competent institutions to immediately take up the provision of real safe working conditions in the emergency centres in the country. Once again, we draw the attention of the Ministry of Health to the problem. We expect and insist on effective prevention measures and zero tolerance for aggression against our colleagues.

BSLAF insists on providing working individual panic buttons in each colleague on the field in order to have a quick connection with the other member of the team, the regional coordination headquarters and the law enforcement authorities. We propose that medical specialists on duty at the CMS should be equipped with body cameras to be used in a clear legal framework, awareness and limited use, for example, in night shifts and high-risk patients.

Within the first year of its establishment, BSLAF prepared trainings for medical assistants/feldshers for conflict management and de-escalation, work with mentally ill patients, recognition of early signs of aggression and work in mass incidents, which will be implemented further and actively in 2026 across the country. Dealing with aggression was also one of the topics of the First National Conference of BLAF precisely because there was a problem. Regardless of the measures taken by our professional organization to prevent potential conflicts at work, our position is that it is necessary that our members have the support and protection provided by the state in the person of the Ministry of Health.