Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Egyptian Hospitals Under Attack as Patients Lose Patience

By Cam McGrath

"CAIRO, Sep 3 2012 (IPS) - The emergency room of Mansoura International Hospital is closed, a lock and chain securing its entrance. Ambulances carrying stroke and burn victims are ordered to go elsewhere.

Just hours earlier, dozens of people stormed this mid-sized hospital in northern Egypt, carrying a relative injured in a car accident. The group overpowered the military officers guarding the front door, fired shots in the air, and threatened to kill doctors and nurses unless they operated immediately on their relative.

Five security personnel were wounded in the attack, and a hospital worker was bludgeoned so hard he remains in a coma.

This was not an isolated incident.....

In response to protests, Egypt’s newly elected president ordered the military to secure 100 of the country’s busiest hospitals. The Ministry of Interior also announced plans to establish a special police force to manage hospital security......"

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