THEIR working lives are dedicated to comforting and healing the sick, but that does not matter to the thugs who see them as easy targets.
Every day in Birmingham and Solihull an average of four doctors and nurses are assaulted.
Hospitals routinely witness outbreaks of violence, including gang fights.
It is a situation that cannot be allowed to continue.
Doctors, nurses and other NHS staff should not have to tolerate such behaviour as they go about their work.
The health service, often struggling to cope with its workload, cannot be expected to contend with the lowered morale and staff absences caused by violence against staff.
And where will the doctors and nurses of tomorrow come from if people are discouraged from joining the professions because they fear they will be attacked?
Health managers must look and look again at their security arrangements to see if staff are getting the protection they need.
The law must crack down hard on those who assault NHS employees.
The NHS faces enough problems without the thuggery that its workforce has to endure.