In an interview with state television, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail that the Doctors Syndicate should not have escalated their protest demands in response to the Al-Matariya incident.
During his interview, Ismail commented on the ongoing rift between the syndicate and the government—represented by the Ministry of Health—after an incident in which police officers assaulted two doctors at Al-Matariya Hospital.
The event sparked anger among doctors and led to a historic general assembly, calls for the ouster of the health minister, and threats of a partial strike.
“The government does not neglect the rights of citizens,” Ismail said.
“The incident in Al-Matariya hospital escalated; they [the injured parties] went to the police station and a note of conciliation was issued. That should have been the end of the matter,” Ismail said.
“The minister of interior and the ministry did not leave things there; they conducted an internal investigation with the policemen and their supervisors,” he added, defending the Ministry of Interior’s stance.
The police officer accused of assaulting the doctors were released after a brief prosecution investigation. The prosecution only resumed the prosecution following a turn-out of more than 10,000 doctors at the syndicate’s general assembly where they voiced their dissatisfaction.
