No ‘justification’ for attacks on medical personnel — ministry

AMMAN — Health Minister Ghazi Zaben on Sunday stressed that the ministry “will not be lenient” in prosecuting the perpetrators who attacked a doctor while he was on duty, according to a ministry statement sent to The Jordan Times.  

On Friday, four out of the 14 people involved were arrested after reportedly attacking a medical doctor at Prince Hamzah Hospital, fracturing his shoulder and arm, in addition to bruising other parts of his body, according to the Jordan Medical Association (JMA).

The doctor was allegedly beaten by a patient's relatives, who got angry following discussions over the availability of a medical exemption for the patient's case, the JMA added.

Hesham Al Fetiani, a JMA member who is in charge of assault cases, described such incidents as "phenomenal", adding that all medical personnel including nurses, pharmacists and doctors, regularly report verbal assaults, in addition to occasional physical attacks.

According to the ministry's official statistics, 56 attacks on medical personnel were registered in 2017, and 21 cases in the first quarter of 2018, while the JMA reported receiving 106 cases over the last two years. 

However, Fetiani noted that some cases are usually dropped after "tribal intervention and pressure on assaulted doctors to rescind".

A nurse at a public hospital, who preferred to remain unnamed, claimed that "the official statistics do not reflect reality", saying that many cases are not registered as the staff are sometimes threatened and "forced to drop charges against their perpetrators".

The JMA official said that this time, the association’s legal unit will follow up the case, to ensure that the victim, who is a surgeon, can claim his rights after the complaint was filed. 

“Other patients who were scheduled to undergo surgeries the following day were also harmed by the incident,” Fetiani told The Jordan Times, adding that the victim’s medical report showed he would not be able to use his hand for four weeks.

During his visit with the assaulted doctor, Zaben reiterated the ministry’s condemnation and rejection of any physical or verbal assaults against medical staff.

“No justification is accepted to such violent acts as citizens can report their complaints through the various available media channel,” the minister said in the statement, adding: “Violence should never be an option as it creates more chaos and hinders other citizens’ access to services.”

Fetiani noted that the presence of security units at public hospitals "made the situation better", as assailants are now arrested on the spot, unlike before, when they could escape or file a counter complaint.

He also called for spreading awareness among patients and intensifying deterrent penalties for assailants, while advising medical staff to keep in contact with the association's legal unit through its announced hotline to receive legal help and consultations whenever needed. 

Citizens expressed mixed reactions on social media over the incident, with some claiming the attack was warranted.  

However, medical staff who work at public hospitals commented that they are under pressure and serve a huge number of patients with "humble equipment" and "insufficient staff".