Khaberni - Social media platforms in Egypt witnessed a surge of anger and condemnation, following a tragic event that unfolded inside one of the health units in the Shubra El-Kheima area in Qalyubia Governorate, where dentist "Sara Awad" was subjected to severe beating by several individuals at her workplace, with new testimonies emerging about the incident.
In revealing the details of the incident, the father of the victimized dentist spoke bitterly, saying: "The incident started while his daughter was performing her job normally when she extracted a tooth from a girl, and immediately placed it in the medical waste bin according to the strict regulations followed to prevent viral infections."
He added that the girl strongly objected and requested the return of the extracted tooth, but the dentist refused to break the regulatory laws, and informed her that she could file a formal complaint with the unit manager.
Clinic Invasion
The father continued that his daughter was then shocked when the girl's father, accompanied by five other people, stormed into the clinic and violently beat her using iron tools and scissors, causing significant damage to the place and screams that shook the health unit.
On the other hand, a different narrative emerged from the other party where the accused girl's sister claimed in a post circulated on social media that her sister felt severe dizziness after the tooth extraction, and that the dentist harshly criticized her behavior and asked her to leave.
The girl claimed that the dentist sprayed water on her sister and uttered offensive words to her, indicating that the altercation escalated into mutual assaults and injuries between the parties after she attempted to record the incident with her mobile phone.
Compound Fracture.. and Surgery
Dr. Ahmed Shawky, the head of the Dentists' Union in Qalyubia, settled the debate regarding the extent of the injuries, confirming that the dentist "Sara Awad" was transferred to Nasser General Hospital and underwent emergency surgery following a severe fracture in her left forearm that required the installation of medical plates and screws, emphasizing that the dignity of doctors is a "red line" and that this severe overstep cannot be overlooked.
Meanwhile, security forces in Qalyubia Governorate managed to control the situation as four individuals were arrested, along with the sibling of the dentist, amidst exchanges of accusations and severe damage to the medical center.
The investigative authorities decided to summon the medical center's manager, employees, and eye witnesses to hear their statements.
Due to the seriousness of the incident, Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, the Minister of Health, communicated with the Attorney General, Counselor Mohamed Shawky, to take legal measures and file an official report in the name of the health facility.
Meanwhile, the General Council of the Dentists' Syndicate dispatched a delegation that visited the dentist in the hospital, then went directly to the Shubra El-Kheima police station to follow up on the investigations.
"Flagrant Assault"
The union issued a sharp statement confirming that what the dentist endured represents a flagrant assault on the sanctity of the medical facility and the entire health system, threatening the stability of the humane work environment, adding that the union will not hesitate to take all legitimate measures to protect its members and ensure such unfortunate scenes are not repeated.
Recently, Egypt has witnessed several incidents of assaults on doctors while performing their duties.
The Ministry of Health announced that the minister emphasized that assaults on medical teams are absolutely unacceptable, and there will be no tolerance for these incidents.
The Minister of Health stressed the importance of the medical liability law, which was finally approved by the Parliament, aiming to balance protecting patients' rights and ensuring the dignity of doctors, and criminalizing and penalizing those who assault medical teams while they are performing their duties.
Imprisonment and Fines
The government ratified the medical liability law which includes provisions that protect doctors and medical teams during their duties.
The law stipulates penalties of imprisonment for no less than one year and not exceeding four years and a fine not less than 10,000 Egyptian pounds and not exceeding 100,000 pounds for anyone who assaults any of the medical facilities or any of their workers.
The law also provides that the penalty shall be imprisonment for not less than two years and not exceeding five years, or a fine not less than fifty thousand Egyptian pounds and not exceeding 200,000 pounds if the assault is on a doctor or any member of the medical team assisting them, and if the crime occurred during and because of their performance of their duties.
