Carène Mezino - The heartbreaking tribute of a city to its murdered nurse

Carène Mezino was a 37-year-old nurse. In a tragic incident in May 2023, a 59-year-old man killed Carène, a victim of a fatal stabbing, in a hospital in the northeast of France. Although French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne observed a minute of silence to pay tribute to the slain nurse, the French Nursing Council has announced that two-thirds of French nurses experience similar  incidents during their professional careers.

French nurses say there is a growing sentiment of exhaustion and fatigue among their ranks, and violence is at an all-time high. Verbal and physical violence is frequently committed by inebriated individuals, angry patients waiting in long queues, and their relatives. Nearly half of the nurses in France want to retire prematurely. Also, two-thirds of them have considered quitting their jobs. Except for nurses, 70 of all violent incidents recorded so far, were directed at general physicians.