A Jordanian court on Sunday sentenced five government officials to three years in prison after convicting them of “causing the death” of ten patients due to lack of oxygen at Salt Governmental Hospital last March.
The Amman Penal Court sentenced the former hospital director, Abdul Razzaq Al-Khashman, and four of his assistants to three years in prison, according to AFP.
They were convicted of “the misdemeanor of causing death repeated ten times”, while the court acquitted eight other defendants.
The decision is subject to appeal within ten days.
Six patients infected with the Coronavirus died on March 13th in Al-Salt Governmental Hospital after oxygen was cut off, according to what was announced by the Minister of Health at the time, Nazir Obeidat, who submitted his resignation.
In the following days, the death of four others was announced as a result of the incident.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II visited the hospital on the day of the incident, which sparked widespread anger, and asked the hospital director to submit his resignation.
On the evening of the same day, the government announced the dismissal of the Minister of Health, the termination of the services of the director of Al-Salt Hospital, and the suspension of the Director of Health of Al-Balqa Governorate.
The authorities opened an investigation into the incident, and the public prosecutor of the city of Salt arrested the hospital director and four of his assistants and charged them with “causing death.”
Jordanian cities witnessed back then protests, in which dozens of people participated, demanding accountability for those responsible for the Salt incident.
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