BEIRUT: Officials at a Lebanese hospital have drafted in a private security firm to protect staff in the wake of several gun attacks.
Nurses, doctors, and administration workers at the Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association of Beirut medical facility have been subjected to a series of armed assaults.
The attackers included a relative trying to force hospital staff to admit a patient, another angry over a patient’s death in the emergency department, and one person attempting to leave without paying a bill.
In one recent incident, gunmen known to staff threatened emergency room nurses, and forced two doctors to disconnect medical equipment from a patient before removing them from the hospital.
In mid-July, the owner and director of the Doctors’ Hospital in Bekaa, Dr. Khaled Al-Khatib, suffered head injuries and a broken arm after being set upon.
The Syndicate of Hospital Owners said at the time that, “the denunciations and condemnations are no longer sufficient to prevent the recurrence of these incidents in hospitals in all Lebanese regions without control or accountability. This has led to the vulnerability of hospitals and their staff.”
The syndicate called on authorities to provide protection for hospital workers who continued to work despite “difficult living pressures,” and urged stiff penalties on aggressors.
The head of Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association of Beirut, Faisal Sinno, told Arab News: “We decided to contract with a private security company and stipulated that its members do not use weapons on the hospital campus.
“We sought help from army intelligence, and they pursued the gunmen. We have no choice but to seek the help of the state because we cannot rely on self-security.
“What happens here happens all the time, but we hope now that we don’t face new attacks,” he said.
Sinno added: “One of the gunmen went so far as to enter the hospital and stand infront of the cashier’s office to tell patients’ families that he could get them a discount on the amount due, on the condition that he shared some of what they saved. The gunman forced the cashier to make a discount on the bill.
“The hospital receives about 50 patients a month who need partial or full assistance. We cover the cost of hospitalization for those in actual need through donations made by Lebanese people inside and outside Lebanon.
“The medical and nursing staff are affected by this type of intimidation, and some want to leave the hospital. However, the majority are used to these types of aggressors.
“We have gone through wars and crises, and we have survived. The society in which we live needs our services. We have Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian patients. We are trying to adjust.”
Head of the private hospitals syndicate, Suleiman Haroun, noted that there were 130 hospitals in Lebanon, and some had merged in a bid to reduce costs.
He said: “The primary cause of the attacks on hospitals, according to our analysis, is that these gunmen want priority to be given to particular patients. They start screaming and the situation may escalate into beatings and even shooting.
“We cannot do anything with these people. The Internal Security Forces cannot provide security for all hospitals, so we resort to private security. However, we refuse to have armed private security personnel, otherwise, hospitals will turn into battle fronts.
“Most hospitals have begun to rely on male nurses and doctors in emergency rooms at night.”
Lebanon’s grand mufti, Sheikh Abdellatif Derian, visited Makassed hospital after the attacks. He said: “Attacking the dignity of any doctor, nurse, or administrative employee on the hospital campus is an attack on every one of us. Let us ensure the sanctity of our Islamic and national institutions.”