Attack on orthopedist prompts public outcry
ISTANBUL
A man who attacked and severely injured an orthopedist at a hospital in the capital Ankara has prompted a massive public outcry in Turkey.
Ertan İskender, a doctor at Ankara Training and Research Hospital, was stabbed in his back and his right hand by an assailant, Bayram Nargüner, while examining another patient on May 26.
While the assailant was neutralized by the security forces after the attack, the injured doctor was immediately taken to surgery.
The finger of the injured orthopedist was sutured in place with an operation that lasted nearly four and a half hours.
It was also reported that the orthopedist might not be able to operate again due to the wounds on his hand.
Meanwhile, it turned out that the attacker had attempted suicide before, but gave up as a result of the attempts by the orthopedist.
The assailant was sent to prison after an Ankara court, which Nargüner was referred to, ruled for his arrest.
The attack against the doctor created a storm of outrage, particularly among medical circles.
Doctors, medical students, officials and NGOs strongly condemned the attack, while Health Minister Fahrettin Koca vowed to follow the judicial process of the incident until the end.
“The rights and safety of our physicians, to whom we entrust our lives, are entrusted to us,” Koca said, adding that the attacked orthopedist is currently in good health.
While the reports over the attack went viral on social media, some Twitter users expressed their anger with the hashtag #SağlıktaŞiddetSonaErsin (End Violence in Healthcare).
