Workers at the Sant Antoni de Portmany Health Centre have rejected allegations that a patient was physically assaulted during an incident at the centre on Sunday, September 6, and have provided a detailed account that differs substantially from the patient's version of events.

The case has resulted in complaints from both sides. The patient says he was treated aggressively and physically removed from the health centre after seeking medical attention for injuries to his feet. Healthcare workers, supported by the Ibiza and Formentera Health Area's earlier account, deny assaulting him and say the confrontation escalated because of the patient's behaviour.

According to the healthcare workers' account, the patient insulted staff and subsequently made death threats against both the doctor who attended him and the healthcare assistant involved in the incident.

There has been no reported court ruling establishing responsibility for what happened, and the competing accounts remain subject to the relevant investigations.

Incident Began During a Busy Night at the Health Centre

The incident occurred during the early hours of Sunday, September 6, when the patient attended the Sant Antoni health centre after suffering injuries to both feet.

According to the workers, the centre was experiencing a high workload that night and the patient had to wait for treatment along with other people attending the facility.

Before entering the consultation room, he underwent the standard nursing triage procedure used to assess patients and prioritise treatment according to the seriousness of their condition.

The healthcare workers say other patients and companions were present in the waiting area and witnessed parts of what happened.

Staff Say Tension Increased Inside the Consultation Room

According to the healthcare workers' account, the patient entered the consultation room while recording the interaction on his mobile phone.

The doctor asked him to stop recording and instructed him to get onto the examination bed so that she could assess his injuries.

The workers say the patient's behaviour then became increasingly hostile and demanding, including requests for assistance with moving.

The doctor subsequently requested the presence of security staff.

The security guard was reportedly dealing with another agitated patient near the entrance at that moment and was therefore unable to attend immediately.

Instead, a healthcare assistant working in admissions went to the consultation room to help manage the situation.

Healthcare Workers Deny Any Physical Assault

The healthcare workers strongly reject the allegation that the patient was assaulted.

They say the healthcare assistant did not hit the man and that his intervention consisted of accompanying him and moving him outside in a wheelchair after the situation inside the consultation room had become confrontational.

This directly contradicts the patient's earlier account, in which he alleged that the healthcare assistant removed him by force and that there was a physical confrontation outside the centre.

The patient also said he subsequently received a medical report documenting injuries at Can Misses Hospital.

Both versions of events are now part of a dispute in which complaints have been made by the respective parties.

Staff Allege Insults and Death Threats

The most serious allegation made by the healthcare workers concerns what they say happened after the patient had been taken outside.

According to their account, the man remained near the entrance while continuing to record with his phone.

They say he became increasingly agitated, shouted insults and made what they describe as death threats against the healthcare assistant and the doctor who had treated him.

The workers say that the incident was witnessed or heard by other patients and accompanying relatives who were still in and around the health centre.

These allegations have not been established by a court.

The healthcare workers' account has also been reflected in the position previously given by the Ibiza and Formentera Health Area, which said the doctor had formally recorded an incident involving alleged verbal aggression and that the healthcare assistant had filed a complaint with the Guardia Civil.

Security Guard Tried to Calm the Situation

The security guard eventually became involved in the incident and, according to the workers, played an important role in calming the situation.

The staff say the patient continued demanding certain medical tests.

The doctor and nursing staff explained that the health centre did not have the necessary radiology equipment to carry out those examinations there and that such tests could not be performed at the facility.

According to the workers, the patient remained dissatisfied with that explanation but eventually left the centre on his own.

They say he did so despite the medical advice and explanations he had received.

Patient Gives a Completely Different Account

The healthcare workers' version contrasts sharply with the account given by the patient earlier this week.

The 51-year-old man said he had gone to the centre after falling while getting off a bus and suffering significant swelling and severe pain in both feet.

He said he waited approximately two hours before being called into the consultation.

According to his account, the doctor insisted that he get onto the examination bed despite his explanation that he could not put weight on his feet because of the pain.

He subsequently alleged that the healthcare assistant entered the consultation room and forced him to leave the building in a wheelchair.

The patient further alleged that a physical confrontation occurred outside, including what he described as a blow to his face.

He sought medical attention afterwards and contacted the police.

Two Complaints Have Emerged From the Incident

The conflicting accounts have resulted in complaints involving both sides.

The patient has complained about the treatment he says he received at the centre.

The healthcare assistant has also filed a complaint with the Guardia Civil, according to the Health Area and the workers' account, while the doctor reportedly recorded an incident concerning alleged verbal aggression.

This means the matter is not simply a complaint by a patient against healthcare staff.

Both sides have made allegations about the other's conduct.

The available information does not establish that either account has been definitively accepted by investigators or a court.

The Health Area Supports the Staff's Account

The Ibiza and Formentera Health Area had already rejected the patient's allegations when the first account of the incident emerged.

The health authority said that, according to the healthcare professionals on duty, the patient had displayed aggressive behaviour from the beginning of the interaction.

It also confirmed that the doctor had reported alleged verbal aggression and that the healthcare assistant had reported the incident to the Guardia Civil.

The latest account from workers at the centre broadly reinforces that position while adding further details about what they say occurred inside and outside the building.

Another Dispute Over Healthcare Safety

The incident comes against a wider national and regional debate about aggression towards healthcare workers.

Healthcare unions in the Balearic Islands have recently warned about increasing incidents involving healthcare professionals, particularly during the busy summer months.

Data from the Balearic public health system for 2025 recorded 1,428 reported aggressions against healthcare workers, an increase of 15.4% compared with the previous year.

The majority were concentrated in emergency departments and healthcare consultations.

This broader context has added sensitivity to the Sant Antoni case, although the circumstances of this particular incident still need to be established independently.

Sant Antoni Health Centre Has Faced Similar Incidents Before

The latest confrontation is also not the first reported incident involving aggression or conflict at the Sant Antoni health centre.

The facility has previously been the scene of serious incidents involving healthcare staff, making security and staff protection a recurring concern.

Healthcare workers argue that difficult working conditions, high patient numbers and prolonged waiting times can increase tensions, although they stress that abusive or threatening behaviour towards staff cannot be justified.

The latest dispute has again brought those concerns into focus.

What Remains Unclear

Several important questions remain unresolved.

It has not been independently established exactly how the patient was removed from the consultation room or what occurred during the subsequent confrontation outside the building.

The presence of other patients and companions could potentially provide witnesses to parts of the incident.

It is also unclear whether recordings made by the patient on his mobile phone are available to investigators and whether they capture any portion of the disputed events.

The allegations of death threats are similarly matters for investigation rather than established facts.

A Case of Conflicting Accounts

The Sant Antoni incident now presents two sharply different versions of the same night.

The patient says he went to the health centre seeking treatment and was subsequently subjected to inappropriate treatment and physical force.

The healthcare workers say they were trying to manage a patient who became hostile and disruptive, deny physically assaulting him and allege that he later insulted and threatened them.

The Ibiza and Formentera Health Area has backed the general account given by the staff, while the patient's complaint remains part of the ongoing dispute.

At this stage, neither side's full version has been established through a final judicial ruling.

Investigation Will Determine What Happened

The complaints now provide the basis for the relevant authorities to examine the incident and determine whether any offence or other wrongdoing took place.

Evidence potentially available to investigators could include medical reports, witness statements, security records and any video or mobile-phone recordings relating to the incident.

Until that process is complete, the allegations should be treated as competing claims rather than established facts.

For the Sant Antoni healthcare workers, the priority is to reject what they consider a false accusation of physical assault and draw attention to the alleged insults and death threats they say they received.

For the patient, the issue remains his complaint about the treatment he says he received while seeking medical attention.

The dispute now moves beyond conflicting public accounts, with the respective complaints and available evidence expected to determine what happened during the early hours of September 6.