Ministry of Health to prosecute "doctor attackers"!

Minister of Health Mr Said Darwazeh took a break from his daily struggle against bird flu in Jordan to announce that the Ministry will raise "legal prosecutions against whomever committs violent attacks on public doctors in public health centers". This courageous approach comes after the 14th incident of attacking public doctors in the last 7 months took place in Abu Nussier Public Health center yesterday. According to the attacked doctors Omar Obeidat he was caring after a patient who had "excessive alcohol" and thought the patient needed better care so he wanted to transfer him to the Jordan University Hospital. Relatives of the patient refused and wanted him to be transferred to Salt Public hospital. Dr Obeidat said that his authority does not allow him to transfer a patient to a hospital outside the same governorate. After stating this he was hit on the head and the chest by the relatives. One of the attackers was the patients' s duaghter!

In traditional cases, such attacks are considered "public fights" and usually get solved by social laws and norms with the victim pressured to withdraw his complaints over a cup of coffee. Apart from the latest incident, usually the victims are from families that does not have strong tribal roots and are sometimes intimidated by the attackers' tribe and family.

The new approach by the Ministry of Health will provide much-needed legal protection for public doctors who work long hours with low wages (less than 500 JDs per month) and have to stand to allegations, anger and provocations of the patients' relatives. I strongly support the initiatives of the Minister and hope he will succeed in putting doctors' attackers wherer they really belong: behind bars!