Mother tries to take her baby from neonatal unit by force and assaults two staff at Costa del Sol hospital in the process

Two workers at the Hospital Costa del Sol in Marbella - a nursing assistant and a security guard - were allegedly assaulted on Wednesday by a mother who tried to take her baby from the neonatal unit by force.

The altercation occurred at the time of a visit to the neonatal unit by the parents of the newborn baby who were opposed to him being admitted longer. The staff objected to the baby being removed from their care and tried to convince the family through dialogue.

It was then that the mother grabbed the child in order to take him from the hospital. When the nursing assistant tried to stop her, the mother allegedly scratched and slapped her, knocking her glasses off. As the tension escalated, the hospital's security staff responded to the scene and that's when the mother bit one of the guards.

In the end, the police had to intervene and defuse the tension. According to colleagues of the assaulted health worker, "she was very emotionally affected by what happened".

More security

Hospital workers have called a protest rally at the entrance to the health facility at 12noon this Thursday. Staff are demanding an end to such aggressive behaviour towards healthcare workers.

In the meantime, the hospital staff board is calling for a further increase in the number of security guards due to the tension which they say is arising from longer waiting lists, delays and an increase in the number of patients being seen since the hospital's expansion.