Basra police display five detainees at Jihad Police Station after a disturbance at Al-Sayyab General Hospital. Photo by Basra Police Command.
Five relatives arrested after clash with staff at Basra hospital
BASRA — Basra Police said Sunday that security forces arrested five relatives of a deceased patient after a clash with hospital protection staff inside Al-Sayyab General Hospital.
In a statement, the Basra Police Command said units from the emergency regiments and the Jihad Police Station “initiated legal procedures after a quarrel inside Al-Sayyab General Hospital between the relatives of a deceased person and the hospital’s protection staff.”
The command said five relatives “caused disorder and assaulted the protection staff,” prompting the hospital security unit and emergency regiments to intervene. The statement said the five were detained and referred to the relevant authorities to complete the investigation.
Basra Police said any assault on health institutions or their staff “is a serious violation punishable by law,” adding that forces will continue protecting vital facilities and preventing attempts to disrupt security inside hospitals.
The incident comes amid recurring violence against healthcare workers. On Aug. 19, 2025, the Maysan Health Department said it took legal action after a receptionist at Al-Hakim Surgical Hospital was assaulted by a patient’s companion who was denied entry to the burns unit. Mohammed al-Kinani, head of media for Maysan Health, told 964media the attack left the employee with bruises and injuries to the face, shoulder, and arm.
He said the companion attacked the receptionist “because he was not allowed to enter to see her,” adding that the ban was explained as a measure to prevent contamination in the burns ward. Al-Kinani said Maysan Health filed a criminal complaint so that “the judiciary will be the final arbiter in this case.”
Other incidents were reported in 2024, including an attack on a doctor and two employees at Tikrit Teaching Hospital on June 9 and an assault on a doctor and staff members at a clinic in Kirkuk’s Hajaj neighborhood on June 21. Medical staff in Najaf later held a protest on July 6 at Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital calling for stronger protections for healthcare workers.