Striking doctors attacked at South Darfur hospital

A group of citizens attacked doctors of the Nyala Teaching Hospital on Wednesday. A listener told Radio Dabanga that during the morning, a group of 30 people stormed the doctors’ mess at the Nyala Teaching Hospital and beat the dozen or more doctors present at the time. They then left, taking some of the doctors’ belongings. The incident occurred against the backdrop of the strike started by the doctors on Monday in protest against the deteriorated working environment at the hospital. The source alleges that the attackers are relatives of a patient who was brought to the hospital for treatment on Tuesday. “When they found that there were no doctors available they decided to attack the doctors the following day.” Overcrowded hospital The doctor explained that he and his colleagues had decided to go on strike because of the “extremely bad” working environment at the hospital. “We cannot continue working in this entirely overcrowded hospital.”   The South Darfur Minister of Health tried to intervene and negotiate with doctors to lift the strike, to no avail. “We will only resume our work after a radical improvement of our working conditions, including protection, so that we will be able to practice our duties as required,” the doctor stressed. File photo: Medical care in Kutum, North Darfur (Albert González Farran/Unamid)