DSU's Arafat: Patients cannot be refused admission; refusal falls under criminal law

Head of the Emergency Situations Department (DSU) Raed Arafat drew attention on Sunday evening over the fact that patients cannot be refused admission, even if there is no confirmation of the infection with COVID-19 and the refusal of admission falls under the criminal law.

"The refusal of admission - and we draw attention over this aspect - that of a patient who needs medical care in the hospital falls under the criminal law. We draw the attention of ward managers and chiefs, as well as doctors on call in hospitals that patients cannot be refused, the treatment, based on the reason that there is no confirmation or invalidation of the fact that they are COVID positive or negative," Raed Arafat said.

He explained that a new order has been issued in this regard, after having existed several refusal situations.

"(...) We have decided to issue an order of the commander of the action, which clearly establishes that any patient can be suspected of being COVID positive, even if there is no testing at the level of the emergency unit, this is why, the medical personnel should themselves protect accordingly, after which the patient with another pathology and who needs immediate admission or the patient in critical state will be admitted in the hospital in which he is or where he presented himself or to another hospital, according to the order of the Health Ministry and the Interior Ministry No.1091/2006 regarding the approval of the protocols for interclinical transfer of the critical patient or to a hospital established by the public health directorates," Raed Arafat also said.