Nurses say knife threats hit Inezgane emergency ward during Boujloud unrest

The emergency department at Inezgane Regional Hospital faced violent attacks and threats involving bladed weapons while treating people injured during the “Boujloud” celebrations, as some neighborhoods saw fighting and unrest.

Media reports noted the hospital received many injured people, including serious cases, which pushed medical and nursing staff to fully mobilize to provide urgent care. 

In a statement, the regional office of the Independent Nurses Union in Inzgan condemned on Friday what it described as “the serious attacks and security breakdown at the emergency department of the Regional Hospital of Inzgan,” linked to the “Boujloud” celebrations, turning several neighborhoods into a source of fear, chaos, and violent assaults.

The regional office noted that the emergency department was subjected to a dangerous attack by a group of delinquents who even stormed into the staff rest room.

It described the incident as highly alarming and unprecedented, warning it could have turned into a real disaster.

It said several nurses were exposed to verbal and physical assaults and threats involving bladed weapons inside a space that is supposed to be safe and properly protected.

The union called on the governor of Inzgan Ait Melloul to urgently intervene to secure health institutions, especially the emergency department.

It also urged the hospital administration to take urgent measures to regulate access to the emergency department and to tighten control over the movement of visitors and accompanying persons to protect both healthcare staff and patients.

The regional office additionally noted that the emergency department has seen an unprecedented influx of dozens of critical cases and injured people with varying levels of severity. 

It said these cases resulted from violent fights and serious road accidents, adding that the situation has created extremely heavy professional and psychological pressure on health staff, especially nurses, who have found themselves on the front lines saving lives despite limited resources and poor working and safety conditions.

A civil activist told Hespress English, under the condition of anonymity, that during the Boujloud celebrations in Souss Massa, including Dchira, Inzgan, and Ait Melloul, some young people were reported to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, which affected the celebrations.

He added that fights also broke out between some participants during the events in the crowded streets.

Some also ignored traffic rules, he said, which led to accidents and injured people being taken to the Regional Hospital in Inzgan during Eid days, putting pressure on hospital services.