THE HAGUE – A hospital in Brussels on Monday fired one of its top surgeons for
allegedly hurling Nazi slogans and racial slurs at a Jewish
colleague.
“It’s a pity because he was a good surgeon but his statements
do not conform to the hospital’s mission,” Edgard Eeckman, the spokesman for the
Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel hospital told De Morgen.
“I think the
hospital acted properly,” the complainant told Joods Actueel, Belgium’s main
Jewish publication, which first reported on the incident. “It sends a signal to
the rest of society that this sort of behavior is not tolerated.”
The
surgeon reportedly called out “sieg heil,” a Nazi chant meaning “hail victory,”
and told his Dutch-born, Jewish subordinate to “head back into the gas
chambers,” according to a complaint which the Jewish doctor filed with the
Center for Equal Opportunities, a watchdog for discrimination.
After the
incident, the surgeon offered apologies via emails sent to management and Joods
Actueel.
“I would like to publicly offer my assistant colleague my
apologies for my unacceptable language in speaking with him,” the surgeon wrote.
“Furthermore, I would like to apologize to the entire Jewish community, whose
feelings I have hurt.”
The incident reportedly happened on Monday morning
at the hospital during an argument between the suspended physician –
specializing in orthopedic surgery – and the younger Dutch-born
doctor.
The complainant, who recently returned from a vacation in Israel,
further said the surgeon told him to “go back to the Dead Sea and be
dead.”
Michael Freilich, editor-in-chief of Joods Actueel, said that in
his mail to the newsroom, the surgeon said he “never meant what was said in a
moment of rage,” adding that a relative of his had spent four years at a
prisoners’ camp under Nazi occupation. He added that he had “a lot of
respect for the Jewish people and Israel.”
After the story was published,
Joods Actueel received a letter from a physician who used to work at the
hospital.
“You could often hear racist jokes during the morning shift, by
the surgeon in question and others,” the doctor – who asked his name not be
disclosed – wrote.
Hospital authorities identified the man as Dr. Frank
H., and added that he was “difficult,” referring to a previous complaint against
him for alleged violent behavior in July.