By Najia Houssari — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Hospital emergency departments have been mired in violence and a dentist was killed in his clinic in a week that saw violent crime rise in Lebanon. Violence has not been limited to medical workers, with a child kidnapped from his mother and organized armed gangs running riot in various regions. The Syndicate of Hospitals in Lebanon said it fears that hospitals could become a “punching bag” for a frustrated populace struggling through the economic crisis. Doctors have claimed that several of the security incidents relate to rising hospital bills. Other incidents have seen Lebanese attempting to claim their rights by force, such as obtaining an unavailable bed in a hospital or claiming a cash deposit held by the bank.
Among the capital’s hospitals, Al-Makassed endures attacks on the medical, nursing and administrative staff more than any other, particularly in the emergency department. The hospital administration said a few days ago that the attacks were committed by “barbarians who are insulting, beating and threatening the ER doctors in an unexpected way.” The hospital has closed its ER until the medical body is provided with security. Less than 24 hours after a violent outbreak in the Beirut hospital, the same scenario took place in Sheikh Ragheb Hareb University Hospital in Nabatieh, where Hezbollah and the Amal Movement are extremely powerful. Vandals smashed up the ER department and medical staff were beaten while attempting to care for a patient. The cameras showed the parents of the patient and the nursing staff quarreling, which escalated into fighting, resulting in a number of injuries and the destruction of some medical equipment.
