Investigation into attempted attack on health workers

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The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the attempted attack on healthcare workers in Keçiören Training and Research Hospital in the capital city of Ankara.

According to the statement of the office, the videos and images shared on social media regarding the attempted attack have been taken as a tip-off and an investigation has been launched against the suspects.

"The ex officio investigation launched as per the Additional Article 12 of the Fundamental Law no. 3359 on Healthcare Services is being carried out meticulously," reads the statement of the office further.

Koca: It is a strong warning

Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca has also indicated that legal proceedings have been started regarding the act of violence that targeted the workers of Keçiören Training and Research Hospital on September 21.

Koca has released a written statement regarding the incident where the relatives of a patient who was wounded in an armed fight and lost his life at the hospital while he was in treatment attempted to attack the healthcare professionals afterwards. Minister Koca has briefly stated:

"Wounded by a firearm, critically wounded A.Ö., one of the two persons taken to the emergency service of our hospital, was taken to the resuscitation unit; however, he lost his life despite efforts for over an hour.

"The physician responsible for the emergency service informed the father of the patient about the sad news; in response to this, the relatives of the patient wanted to enter the room to see the deceased patient.

"Seeing that a large group of people were attempting to enter the resuscitation room by pushing the limits, healthcare workers, concerned that yet another incident of violence would take place, tried to keep the door closed and stop the patient's relatives.

"The security guards of the hospital and security forces intervened in the incident shortly afterwards and a legal proceeding has been started. No health worker has been wounded in the incident. But the incident itself is a strong warning for all of us. The reasons are quite clear."

'A new sentence in the name of medicine...'

The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) has also released a statement about the incident on its Twitter account.

The TTB has noted that this recent incident has forced the healthcare workers to add a new sentence to the Hippocratic Oath: 

"The healthcare professionals in the Ankara Keçiören Training and Research Hospital had to add a new sentence to the Physicians' Oath today!

"'I hereby undertake that I will protect my patients from an environment of violence by setting up a barricade at the door of the Emergency Resuscitation Room with my own body. #EndViolenceInHealthcare'."

Hekimlik Andı'na bugün Ankara Keçiören Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesindeki sağlık çalışanları yeni bir cümle eklemek zorunda kaldı!

"Hastalarımı Acil Resüsitasyon Odası kapısında bedenimden barikat kurarak, şiddet ortamından koruyacağıma yemin ederim."#SağlıktaŞiddetSonaErsin pic.twitter.com/uiUWEWcTzv

— TürkTabipleriBirliği (@ttborgtr) September 21, 2020

(EKN/SD)