Damaged medical equipment and broken monitors are seen inside Al-Hilal Al-Ahmar Hospital in Baghdad’s Mansour district after an assault by individuals reacting to a patient’s death.
Baghdad
Seven arrested after storming of Al-Hilal Al-Ahmar Hospital over patient’s death
BAGHDAD — Seven individuals were arrested under suspicion of forcibly entering Al-Hilal Al-Ahmar Hospital in Baghdad and attacking medical staff following the death of a patient during a catheterization procedure, the Interior Ministry said Friday.
The assault took place at the hospital in the Mansour district and caused damage to multiple pieces of medical equipment, according to the ministry.
“The Baghdad al-Karkh Police detachments, in a joint field effort by Mansour emergency patrols and the Mansour Police Station, arrested seven suspects who stormed Al-Hilal Al-Ahmar Hospital and assaulted the medical staff,” the ministry said in a statement. “They caused material damage to several pieces of equipment inside the hospital.”
Legal procedures were initiated against the suspects, the ministry said, adding that it remains committed to protecting healthcare personnel and institutions. “We will not allow any assault that endangers the safety of personnel in this vital sector or disrupts medical services provided to citizens,” the statement said.
The incident is the latest in a pattern of violence targeting healthcare workers in Iraq, where families of patients have increasingly attacked hospital staff in the wake of medical complications or deaths.
A 2021 study found that 87% of doctors working in Baghdad hospitals had experienced either verbal or physical abuse. Medical unions and rights organizations say poor security, weak legal protections, and low public trust in the healthcare system contribute to the prevalence of such attacks.
In January, several people assaulted staff and a doctor at Tikrit Teaching Hospital in Salah al-Din province. The incident led to private clinics closing in protest.
In February, a man assaulted a female doctor and two staffers during a patient examination at a clinic in Kirkuk’s Hajaj neighborhood, reportedly following a verbal dispute.
The Iraqi Medical Syndicate has repeatedly condemned such attacks and urged stronger legal protections for healthcare workers nationwide.
