The Federation of Medical Residents of Quebec has offered to help residents of Middle Eastern descent following an attack on a Saudi physician at the McGill University Hospital Centre. The Sept. 15 attack may have been a reprisal for terrorist acts in the US on Sept. 11.
The fourth-year obstetrics and gynecology resident was in an elevator at 6:30 pm in the Royal Victoria Hospital when a man grabbed her by the throat from behind. He threw her against the elevator wall, choked her, spit in her face and threatened her before running off. She never saw his face.
In a letter to all residents of Middle Eastern descent, the federation offered to be the first point of contact in helping concerned residents to cope with their fears, or to file complaints with the university or police.
“Many of these people don't know how the system works,” explained federation president Dr. Jean-Sébastien Delisle, a third-year internal medicine resident at McGill. He called the apparent retaliation “clearly unacceptable” and “hard to understand.”
Delisle praised McGill's quick action following the attack. Security patrols at teaching hospitals were immediately increased, escorts are now offered and more surveillance cameras are being installed. Female residents of Middle Eastern descent have stopped doing on-call work at night.
Dr. Abraham Fuks, McGill's dean of medicine, called the attack “wanton and senseless.” He said that “we must remain vigilant so that our institutions and those who work in them can meet the highest standards of professional and human behaviour.”
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Barbara Sibbald
CMAJ