The events that led to the meeting began on 28 January 2016, when policemen allegedly assaulted two doctors at Cairo's Matariya Hospital after one of the doctors refused to fake a medical report for one of the policemen At least 4,000 doctors gathered in front of the Doctors Syndicate headquarters in downtown Cairo on Friday morning, to attend an urgent general assembly meeting in the wake of a reported police assault on doctors. Traffic reached a standstill outside the syndicate on Qasr El-Aini Street, as doctors entered the syndicate building. The events that led to the meeting began on 28 January, when policemen allegedly assaulted two doctors at Cairo's Matariya Hospital after one of the doctors refused to fake a medical report for one of the policemen. The assault caused the Matariya Hospital staff to strike and shut down the hospital. However, the prosecutor-general ordered the doctors to end their strike and reopen the hospital. The doctors responded by opening only the emergency room. On Thursday, Cairo prosecutors charged nine low-ranking policemen with “assaulting public officials” and “using violence” over the Matariya Hospital incident. The nine policemen, who were detained on Wednesday, were released on bail pending trial on Thursday. The syndicate's general meeting will discuss next steps in response to the attack and subsequent release of the policemen. The outcome could include further strikes. Membership in the syndicate is mandatory to practice medicine in Egypt. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/187392.aspx
