May 3--A LOCAL martial arts expert has come to the aid of Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) doctors, donating more than 100 self-defence manuals. Zen-Do Bahrain Kickboxing Club founder Suhail Algosaibi said it was his way of letting doctors know he was concerned about their safety.
The donation follows a GDN report earlier this month, in which Bahrain Medical Society general secretary Dr Hussain Meer said doctors were being advised to take up self-defence lessons to protect themselves from violent and abusive patients.
"I was extremely concerned doctors and nurses were being targeted," Mr Algosaibi told the GDN.
"While I am not encouraging them to start beating up patients and indulging in violence themselves, I am trying to help them understand how they can take evasive action and defend themselves."
He said doctors worked under very stressful conditions and he wanted to help.
The 120 copies, which were handed over to Dr Meer at the SMC, are worth BD1,000.
"As we go along, I would like to contribute in other ways as well," said Mr Algosaibi.
Dr Meer said the SMC received 7,000 to 10,000 visitors per day and it could happen a few of them will get very frustrated and assault staff.
"We have taken several measures to protect our staff, including providing self-defence as well as communication courses to curb the anger of stressed patients and visitors," he said.
The books will go far towards improving the safety of our staff, added Dr Meer.
"The idea is to prevent physical and verbal attack from those frustrated patients who are behaving that way perhaps for no fault of theirs."
He said courses that would teach doctors how to deal with people in pain and with frustrated relatives were also on the way.
The GDN has reported several instances of patients and relatives assaulting doctors and nurses at the hospital, particularly the Accident and Emergency Department.
In the latest two cases, a doctor was assaulted and received a death threat on April 9 from relatives of a female patient and a female nurse was attacked by a sickle cell patient wielding a saline bottle two days later. mandeep@gdn.com.bh
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