Conflict Incident Report

BEIRUT: An unidentified man barged into the Lebanese Canadian Hospital in Sin al-Fil Monday evening, smashing glass and other objects while screaming and shouting in a video viewed by The Daily Star. The man, unseen in the video, was reportedly upset about the death of his brother who had been admitted to the hospital. “You killed him,” the man screamed as he smashed and destroyed his surroundings.

Head of the Association of Private Hospitals Sleiman Haroun confirmed the veracity of the video to The Daily Star. “Yes, I just got off the phone with the head of the hospital and it is true,” Haroun said.

He added, “The man who broke in was upset at the death of his brother and went on a rampage, blaming the hospital for his brother’s death.”

The video of the incident opens with a view of a bouquet of flowers knocked to the floor and the sound of a man roaring. The camera pans to catch a brief glimpse of the assailant, who is using a long object to attack a wall. It shows what appeared to be blood splattered on the floor, although its origin is unclear. Shattered glass sparkles on the beige tiling and a nurses’ station has been ransacked with papers strewn across the ground and chairs tossed on their sides.

When asked if there was any security at the hospital, Haroun said, “It looks as if there was not any.” In the video, bystanders can be seen walking along devastated corridors.

Haroun said contacts were ongoing with Justice Minister Salim Jreissati and Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Ghassan Hasbani. “We are in contact to see what will happen,” Haroun said, adding that more details would be available later Tuesday.

The Daily Star was unable to reach Hasbani and Jreissati for comment Monday evening.

Meanwhile, a security source told The Daily Star that the deceased man was the oldest of four brothers in his family. “The siblings were shocked at the death of their oldest brother and the video shows the reaction of one of the brothers,” the source said.

The source added that the family was living in extreme poverty and the oldest brother was the breadwinner.

“Investigations are ongoing and the proper decisions will be made after the funeral [of the deceased man],” the source said.

The hospital also confirmed the incident, but gave no further details. In January this year, Haroun warned of a medical crisis as hospitals reached maximum capacity. Haroun put the blame on past governments because the budgets that were passed for hospitals were insufficient. This meant medical facilities faced a deficit at the end of each year. Since taking office, Hasbani has been working to overhaul the entire health sector.