More than five years after the tragic death of fourteen infants at the Rabta hospital, justice has returned its verdict. The Tunis Court of Appeal confirmed prison terms imposed on three hospital officials, deemed guilty of negligence.
Among them, the head of the pharmacy service, Dr Raouf al-Jamei, whose conviction arouses lively indignation in the pharmaceutical environment.
The National Council of the Order of Pharmacists of Tunisia immediately reacted by denouncing a dangerous preceding preceding judicial in a publication broadcast yesterday on its Facebook page. He rejects any instrumentalization of the profession and announces a mobilization to defend the dignity of pharmacists. A crisis unit has been set up to decide on the actions to be taken.
“No to injustice …
No to transform a pharmacist into a scapegoat …
The pharmaceutical sector is in crisis !!
We express our total and unconditional solidarity with our colleague Dr Raouf al-Jamei, and we call all the pharmacists of the Republic to come together to defend the dignity of our profession and the rights of our colleague.
The National Council and all professional structures are in consultation within an urgent crisis unit, in a context where this verdict constitutes a dangerous precedent against our colleague Dr Raouf al-Jamei.
All mobilization decisions will be announced later. »»
This case highlights serious dysfunctions in hospital management, in particular in terms of monitoring of protocols and equipment maintenance. But it also raises concerns about the individual responsibility of pharmacists in the face of systemic failures.
In this climate of tension, several pharmacists reacted on social networks, including Sfaxian pharmacist Walid Bouzid, who offers a solidarity act: “Show the photo of the condemned on the windows of the pharmacies, accompanied by a message in favor of the presumption of innocence”. An initiative that reflects the unity of a profession in crisis.