Doctor assaulted

Luqman Hassen Mahommed, son of local businessman commonly known as Hassen, was charged after an incident in December 2012 when he assaulted doctor Christian Burger at the Midmed Emergency Room.

Dr. Burger said that he is happy with the outcome.

“As doctors we are very exposed, especially in the casualty ward. We deal with mostly emergency situations and a lot of people are a challenge to work with. The waiting times are difficult to determine. But we are in line with international standards and when I see that I am going to miss my target, I call on the standby doctor.”

Incidents like a group of foreigners who got into a fight, the wounded Frikkie Lutzkie being taken to Midmed after an attempt on his life and the TV character Karate Kallie’s real life brother, Renier van Vollenstee, barging into the emergency room to finish a fight that started at a night club, prompted the Midmed ER to beef up security.

“When we treated Mr. Lutzkie, we didn’t know whether the people that tried to kill him, would follow him to the hospital to finish what they’ve started.”

Security doors were erected to control access to the ER.

Dr. Burger spoke about the night in 2012. He had a busy ER with a woman who was in a motor accident, a child that was in a pedestrian accident and a mother with a four week-old premature baby.

“As an ER doctor, you classify people by their situation, not by class. You tend to the most seriously injured or sick patient first and the least serious last.”

He heard people banging on the door. They claimed that their child was not breathing. He opened to let them in.

Dr Burger said that he quickly checked the child and determined that he was not in a life threatening condition. He showed them to a bed and said that he would tend to them in a couple of minutes.

“The child was sitting up straight and looked me in the eyes.”

Out of the group of five adults that accompanied the child, Dr. Burger asked only the parents to stay behind. He tended to the premature baby but was repeatedly interrupted by the couple asking when their child will be helped.

“When they shouted for the third time, I told them that they were being rude. That is when they started shouting and swearing at me. I asked them to go and wait in reception.”

The group gained access to the ER through the ambulance gate in a side street instead. Dr Burger said that they stood around and phoned several people, including a doctor.

The husband of the accident victim went to them and asked them to keep calm.

“He told them they were not the only ones with an emergency. That is when they went crazy.”

A fight broke out between the men and Dr Burger went out to diffuse the situation.

“I asked the men to go and wait in reception but then Luqman grabbed me. He kept on yelling that he would knock my teeth out.”

Male staff members and the family member of another patient pulled Dr. Burger to safety and locked the doors behind him.

The Midmed Hospital manager, Hennie Viljoen, as well as the police were notified.

The child was allowed back into the ER under police presence and Dr. Burger examined him again to make double sure that he was in no life threatening condition. After determining that he would safely make it to another emergency room, the family was asked to leave the hospital.

“You have to draw the line somewhere. It is not okay to attack a health practitioner, especially because you feel that you are entitled to immediate assistance because of your social status. In the ER we look at you as a person. You could be the president, but if you have ear pain and there is a tramp with a more serious condition, you as the president will have to wait.

“When Dr. Mkhize was stabbed to death in the provincial hospital, I was the one who checked him for signs of life before we took him to surgery. But he was already gone. It again made me realize how dangerous this job could be. More should be done to protect doctors.

“My colleagues insisted that I owe it to them to take this matter further. I was offered money, but that is not what it is all about. R20 000 or R30 000 is nothing to a rich family like them. It is about the principle. I wanted him to think about what he had done, and other people to think twice before they do something stupid.”

Mahommed was sentenced to a fine of R3 000 or six months imprisonment suspended for three years on the condition that he is not involved in a similar incident in the next three years.

The court has granted him leave to appeal.