The Syndicate of Hospitals in Lebanon and the President of the Lebanese Order of Physicians in Beirut, Dr. Youssef Bakhach, deplored on Monday, July 17, the recent assault against Dr. Khaled Al-Khatib, the owner and director of the Doctors’ Hospital in Beirut.
The physician was attacked in Cascade shopping mall in the Bekaa region. He was brutally beaten up by a security personnel who assaulted him with a sharp object that resulted in severe head bleeding, a broken arm and bruises across his body. Khatib was subsequently transferred to the intensive care unit.
The reason behind the attack remains unknown.
While wishing Khatib a speedy recovery and acknowledging his dedication and commitment to his profession, the Syndicate stated that “mere condemnation and denunciation” were no longer sufficient to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in hospitals against medical staff.
Along with the president of the order of physicians, the syndicate called for imposing “the harshest penalties on the assailant, whose identity has been revealed, in order to set a precedent that deters potential assailants and ensures the protection of medical facilities and healthcare workers.”
This incident adds to a series of attacks committed against medical facilities and healthcare workers without any accountability, turning hospitals and their staff into frequent targets.
