A nurse at Tripoli Governmental Hospital assaulted by patient's relatives in the emergency room

A nurse at Tripoli Governmental Hospital in North Lebanon was assaulted Thursday by relatives of a patient in the emergency room, who were dissatisfied with the care provided. The incident required security forces to intervene to restore order and apprehend the attackers, according to information from our correspondent Michel Hallak and statements from the facility and the Ministry of Health.

Condemning the incident, the management of Tripoli Hospital explained in a statement that the assault “suffered by a nurse in the emergency room while he was carrying out his humanitarian and professional duty, is a flagrant violation of the hospital’s integrity and its staff.”

The hospital called on security forces to take “the necessary and immediate measures to ensure its protection and that of its personnel, and to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, which pose a threat to the entire health sector and hinder the provision of services to citizens.”

In a video circulating online, the nurse is seen being attacked in the emergency room amid shouting from those present.

The Health Ministry also condemned “the flagrant and barbaric assault perpetrated against a nurse at Tripoli Governmental Hospital while he was carrying out his humanitarian duty in the emergency room,” noting that “this barbaric act constitutes not only an attack on an individual, but also a direct assault on the integrity of health facilities and a clear threat to the safety of staff and patients.”

The ministry stressed that “health professionals are already under immense economic and social pressure, and it is entirely unacceptable for them to become the target of unjustified assaults, which directly threaten the continuity of essential health services provided to citizens.” The ministry called on judicial authorities and security forces to bring the attackers to justice, recalling that “the protection of medical personnel is a national and moral duty.”

Commenting on the incident, Saida Governmental Hospital in South Lebanon denied rumors that the assault had taken place on its premises, while expressing its support for the affected facility. “The recurrence of such serious incidents, in the absence of adequate legal and operational protection, threatens the safety of medical and nursing staff and jeopardizes the continuity of health services. We demand that the competent authorities, particularly the Ministry of Health, security forces and the judiciary, take immediate action to ensure that those responsible for these acts are held accountable, to guarantee the protection of public hospital staff, and to safeguard their dignity and rights,” the statement said.

Such incidents are common in Lebanon. Last October, a doctor and a nurse at Sir Dennieh Governmental Hospital in North Lebanon were assaulted by the father of a hospitalized child after the child was diagnosed with coronavirus.