The doctors of "Medicine City" in Baghdad (the largest medical complex in the city) are on strike. Many reasons are cited, including the lack of oxygen (still no oxygen!), terrible equipment shortages and poor working conditions. However, the real reason for the strike is what happened yesterday and the day before yesterday.
A member of the Iraqi Police (IP) came into the emergency room (ER) shot. Apparently the doctors did what they could, but the officer still died. When the other policemen found out, they beat the doctors, breaking the jaw of the doctor in charge at the time of death. They also trashed all the equipment they could, broke as much glass as possible, and shot up the ER.
The next day, the family of the officer came for the body. They took the names of all of those caring for their baby when he died, and said they would bury the body then come back to kill the doctors. Not content to wait, the doctors went into hiding.
In the end, the Iraqi National Guard (ING) came into the ER, kicked all the doctors out, shut down the ER, and have been occupying it since - supposedly for protection of the doctors. Doctors - like everybody else around - fear the ING as much if not more than the police for their corruption and brutality.
For me and the doctors sitting in the OR theatres and doctor change rooms, there was barely a difference between today and the last time we sat here counting lights. The only discernable difference I saw was that today everybody sat without their operating-room clothing, hats or masks..
tarek : )