Palestinian doctors working in the West Bank resigned en masse in protest against the arrest of a colleague early this week, the Palestinian Safa news agency reported yesterday.
A Palestinian court sentenced a doctor to a prison term after ruling that he was the reason behind the death of a mother and her unborn child last month.
Resignations started in Rafidiya, the National Hospital of Nablus and the Palestine Medical Centre. Several doctors in other hospitals in Jenin and Ramallah also resigned and walked out.
Safa reported huge difference between the doctors and their union, which said that it could not support the resignations.
According to sources, the Palestinian Doctors Syndicate said that it could not challenge a court ruling; however the doctors said that not supporting their colleague would set a precedent whereby it would become acceptable for doctors to be imprisoned.
In addition to the doctor’s case, the resignations were also in protest against the negative reports in the media, which they said incites against medical staff. They said some doctors faced aggressive threats, mainly in Nablus.