Salt hospital deaths spark public anger

AMMAN — The medical tragedy in the New Salt Public Hospital, in which six patients died due to an oxygen outage, has caused outrage on social media platforms both in Jordan and abroad.

Minister of Interior and acting Minister of Health Mazen Faraiah  on Sunday during a Lower House session said that a total of nine deaths were recorded in the New Salt Public Hospital. Six patients died due to a lack of oxygen while the cause of the other three deaths was not determined, he added.

His Majesty King Abdullah visited the hospital immediately ensuing the incident. A video circulated on social media platforms showed a visibly angry King denouncing the incident and expressing dismay over the medical tragedy. Another video showed people outside the hospital calling on His Majesty to hold those responsible for the medical negligence accountable. 

“What happened was very sad and tragic, it personally affected me to the point where I was not able to sleep. His Majesty himself going to the hospital was reassuring, we would not see that happening anywhere else,” a 24-year-old Jordanian woman who preferred anonymity, told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

“The whole system must be changed, everybody responsible must be held accountable,” she added.

The King’s swift action drew praise from Jordanians and foreigners alike.

“It is absolutely great to see a leader respond so quickly,” Dina Salah, a 26-year-old Jordanian, told The Jordan Times. 

“His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan stood with his people during the tragedy,” Makram Rabah from Lebanon tweeted in Arabic.

Jordanians were outspoken about incident on social media voicing their feelings and opinions. 

“I do not know how the families of the dead patients can cope with the grief and loss of their beloved ones. My condolences to all of them,” a Jordanian social media user, Maram, tweeted in Arabic.

Sandra Hiari, a family member of one of the deceased, tweeted: “Never have I imagined newspapers covering the death of my aunt & other Covid patients due to sheer incompetence & negligence. It is a national disgrace and a loss that we can never recover from as a family,” she said.

Multiple trending hashtags on different social media platforms in Jordan were rife with posts and tweets calling on the government to take action and hold those responsible for the medical tragedy accountable.

“Innocent people were taken away from their loved ones because of inefficiency and negligence,” a social media user under the name Jana tweeted.

“We should not be learning the hard way, facilities management is very critical and the whole process of operation, resource and risk management should be reviewed by the investigation committee,” Abdullah Hiari tweeted.