Switzerland: Hospital suspends Libyan program
Can a hospital refuse to treat patients just because of their government’s actions?
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A Swiss hospital suspended a project treating rich private patients from Arab lands on Tuesday in reaction to the confirmation of the death sentences of five Bulgarian
nurses in Libya.
Manager Andreas Gattiker of the regional hospital of Wetzikon said in a radio interview that he doesn’t understand how nurses can be responsible for an HIV infection. The five Bulgarian nurses, together with a Palestinian doctor, were sentenced to death for knowingly infecting children with HIV. During the trial experts have declared that AIDS was around in the Benghazi hospital before the foreigners came to work.
Source: Standaard (Dutch)
I think this protest by the Swiss is valid and ethical. There are other places in the world that Arab patients can – and do – go for treatment.
If other EU countries were to follow Switzerland’s lead, there would soon be enough pressure exerted upon Ghaddafi by other Muslim countries to make him let nurses go.
In any conflict, one must find the leverage which will move an intransigent, cyncial and amoral antagonist.
Well done, Switzerland!
[ends here]
4 comments:
It's a perfectly logical move on the part of the swiss. I'm not sure they would like you making them part of the EU though. ;)
I suspect, but I'm not sure, that the EU countries won't generally follow Switzerland's example. France might. Germany... maybe. Everyone else? Well I'd actually be surprised if they were coming here to the UK for treatment considering the state of our health service...
oops...my bad. Repeat ten times: "Switzerland is too manly to be part of the EEE (Empire of European Eunuchs)"
Still, that's an excellent idea and the US ought to do it also. It is a strong ethical statement to a moral midget.
The handwringing by the EU bureaucrats is truly sickening. This is one case where discretion would be the better part of valor. However, they seem unable to shut up.
The great thing about people who can't shut up is that they occasionally let the cat out of the bag. We wouldn't know the EU's true nature if that weren't the case. ;)
I guess Cuba's hospital's will get a sudden influx of visitors now. I wonder how Castro will react to that.
The Libyans can always go to Cuba for health care. It's awesome there, just ask Michael Moore.
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