The Romanian Senate approved legislation on Tuesday that would increase criminal penalties by one-third for anyone who assaults, injures, or kills medical personnel while they perform their duties. The bill passed with 91 votes in favor, 2 against, and 36 abstentions. The legislative project amends Law no.

95/2006 on health system reform and applies to offenses committed against doctors, nurses, orderlies, ambulance drivers, and other healthcare staff in both public and private medical facilities. Under the proposed changes, the special limits of penalties for assault, bodily harm, fatal assault or injury, and murder would be increased by one-third when the victim is a healthcare worker on duty, according to Agerpres. ro.

The Senate was the first chamber to examine the bill. It now moves to the Chamber of Deputies, which holds decision-making authority on this legislation. The measure cannot enter into force until the Chamber of Deputies debates and votes on it.

The initiative seeks to strengthen legal protections for medical staff, who have faced repeated incidents of verbal and physical aggression in recent years. Medical unions and professional associations have called for harsher sanctions and safer working conditions, arguing that existing legal frameworks have failed to deter violence in healthcare settings. Senator Ioan Popescu, who supported the bill during Tuesday's session, said medical staff deserve to work without fear of aggression.

"Our medical staff deserve to work in environments free from fear and aggression," Popescu said. The proposed amendments would mark a significant shift in how Romanian law treats crimes against healthcare workers. Currently, penalties for assault and other violent offenses do not distinguish between attacks on medical personnel and those on other citizens.

The one-third increase would apply across all categories of violence covered by the criminal code, from simple assault to murder. The bill's passage in the Senate reflects growing recognition of the risks healthcare workers face. Incidents of violence in hospitals and clinics have been documented with increasing frequency, prompting calls from within the medical community for legislative action.

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The proposed penalty increases aim to serve both as a deterrent and as a signal that the state values the safety of those who staff its healthcare system. Critics have raised questions about how the increased penalties would function within the existing judicial system. Some legal observers have expressed concern that the amendments could complicate sentencing procedures and place additional burdens on prosecutors and judges.

Others have questioned whether harsher penalties alone will address the underlying causes of violence in healthcare settings, which include overcrowding, long wait times, and communication breakdowns between staff and patients. The legislative project extends protections to all categories of healthcare workers, not only physicians. Nurses, orderlies, and ambulance drivers would receive the same enhanced legal protections as doctors under the amended law.

The measure also applies equally to staff in private healthcare units, a provision that reflects the growing role of private medical facilities in Romania's healthcare field. The Chamber of Deputies will now determine whether the bill becomes law. Deputies will have the opportunity to debate the measure's provisions, propose amendments, and vote on its final form.

The timeline for this process remains uncertain, as the Chamber sets its own legislative calendar. If the Chamber of Deputies approves the bill, Romania would join a number of European countries that have enacted special protections for healthcare workers. Similar measures exist in France, where assaults on medical staff carry automatic prison sentences, and in the United Kingdom, where attacks on emergency workers are treated as aggravated offenses.

The Senate's vote on Tuesday represents the first legislative action on this issue since Law no. 95/2006 was enacted two decades ago. That law established the framework for health system reform but did not include specific provisions addressing violence against medical personnel.

The current initiative seeks to fill that gap by creating a distinct legal category for crimes committed against healthcare workers performing their duties. The outcome in the Chamber of Deputies will determine whether the enhanced penalties take effect. Medical associations and unions have signaled their support for the measure and are expected to lobby deputies to approve it.

The government has not yet indicated whether it will formally endorse the bill or remain neutral during the Chamber's deliberations.