Three of the region’s healthcare workers were assaulted every week last year.
Figures gathered by the Unison union show there were more than 18,000 attacks on NHS staff across Scotland last year, with 150 of them in Dumfries and Galloway.
But the union’s head of health, Matt Mclaughlin, fears the actual figure could be much higher as many incidents may not have been reported.
He said: “Working in the NHS is stressful enough without having to worry about your personal safety.
“NHS boards must take a zero-tolerance approach and improve the reporting system which NHS staff have little faith in.
“While NHS boards must invest in dynamic risk assessments, staff training and reporting systems, it is vital that the Scottish Government tackles the staffing crisis in the NHS.
“They must recruit and invest in staff so they can reduce waiting times and ensure there are adequate staff to deal with difficult situations with patients.”
The data was obtained through a series of Freedom of Information requests for Unison’s annual report called Violent Assaults: NHS staff in Scotland.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Assaults on patients or staff are completely unacceptable, and everyone has the right to access healthcare, or their place of work, without fear of verbal or physical abuse. The courts have extensive powers to deal robustly with assaults.
