CAIRO: Dozens of doctors demonstrated in front of the Supreme Court Thursday, demanding an immediate investigation into the alleged mistreatment by a prosecutor of a doctor in Hurghada last week. “Doctors are being attacked everywhere by thugs, patients … It is unfair that even members of the judiciary will start attacking us as well,” said Mohamed Shafik, member of the Doctors Without Rights movement. On Sept.21, a prosecutor allegedly assaulted Mariam Azmi, a doctor at Hurghada Public Hospital, and held her at the prosecution office for four hours threatening to imprisonment. Azmi had refused to let him question a patient inside the intensive care unit (ICU), suggesting they go to another office since ICU is not an “appropriate place” for questioning. Azmi then snatched the patient's file from an accompanying officer, infuriating the prosecutor, who later summoned her and accused her of attacking an officer on duty. Azmi was eventually persuaded by the hospital's manager to apologize and was sent home. Doctors at the protest also demanded the resignation of the manager, saying he “did not preserve the dignity of his employees.” Other doctors said that they are proud of Azmi's stance. Mona Mina, the spokesperson of Doctors Without Rights stressed that they are waiting for the Prosecutor General decision to plan their next move. Protesters held banners reading “We will not be satisfied until corruption is eradicated from all fields.” Other protests supporting Azmi were scheduled to take place in Port Said, Mansoura and Alexandria. Over the past few months, doctors have been demanding salary increases as well as increasing the healthcare budget from 3.4 percent to 15 percent of the national budget and providing stricter security for them during working hours.
