Man arrested for threatening to burn his doctor to death
Move comes after attack last month where mentally ill patient murdered nurse in arson attack
A man in the central city of Yehud has been arrested for threatening to burn his doctor to death, in a threat that echoed the killing of a nurse at a HMO clinic last month.
The 43-year-old suspect was arrested on Friday after he burst into an exam room and demanded his doctor see him immediately, according to reports in Hebrew-language media.
When she asked him to leave and wait his turn, the man became angry and began shouting at her. He then threatened to burn down the Yehud HMO clinic while his doctor was inside.
Security officials at the clinic reported the incident to police, who detained the man at his house, Ynet reported. He is expected to have a remand hearing at a Tel Aviv court on Saturday evening.
The incident comes less than a month after a disgruntled elderly patient burned a nurse to death at a Holon clinic.
The murder shocked the country and prompted much of Israel’s health care, education and social work systems to strike in protest of recent acts of violence directed at staff.
Health care officials said violence against doctors and others by angry patients and family members is a chronic issue in Israel.
According to official government figures, there were 3,000 reported cases of violence or abuse against health personnel in hospitals, clinics and emergency services between 2014 and 2016.
Approximately 75 percent of those attacks were verbal abuse. One-quarter of the attacks were physical assaults against medical staff or their security. Three-quarters of the attacks took place in hospitals, especially in emergency rooms.
The Knesset held an emergency session on workplace violence in the wake of the incident, while medical staff in hospitals and clinics throughout the country held vigils for the nurse.
In the Holon incident, witnesses said 77-year-old Asher Faraj doused his local clinic with a flammable liquid and set it alight, killing 55-year-old nurse Tova Kararo.
According to reports, Faraj became angry after the flu shot he received from Kararo a week earlier made him feel weak and unwell. Faraj told Channel 2 news he believed he might have been poisoned.
Staff members said Faraj had returned to the clinic every day since his inoculation to angrily confront staff, and refused to believe them when they explained he was experiencing routine side effects of the vaccine.
After his arrest, police said Faraj was at first unable to explain what he had done. But later, during questioning, he reportedly told investigators, “I didn’t want to harm anyone — only to throw a burning bottle.”
His attorneys told authorities that Faraj suffers from an unspecified mental illness, and his family had previously sought psychiatric care.
The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court last month remanded Faraj into custody pending the results of a psychiatric evaluation.
