An investigation has been launched by Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital after reports a young Jewish patient was “mistreated.”
A post on social media claimed that a young boy was removed by a nurse from a bay on a ward while wearing “visibly Jewish” clothing.
The post also alleges that some staff were wearing “free Palestine” badges and that the boy was “scared.”
Now, the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region as well as Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham have called for an urgent investigation to take place.
The post features two images of a boy, with his face obscured by emojis, including one of him appearing to be sitting on a hospital bed and one of him appearing to be lying on a floor with a bandage on his arm.
It says that the boy “had to lie on the floor” while being treated at one point. The post also alleges that the “last few times” the boy has attended the hospital, he has been “denied correct medical care.”
The poster claims that the boy has a condition that requires hospital treatment and is part of a “religious Jewish” family. As a result of the alleged treatment, the poster claims “my proudly Jewish nephew (and his parents) is scared to not get treatment if he wears” Jewish clothing.
The post adds: “What the actual f*** is going on? Is this the world we will live in? Is it 1940 again? It is terrifying to be a Jew in the world again. To be honest, I’m not sure what can be done. At the very least I firmly believe that public medical healthcare professionals shouldn’t be wearing political pins that make people/children, scared/nervous/worry.”
Manchester Evening News reports that a spokesperson from the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) said the trust’s dress code policy “prohibits the wearing of badges and pins not approved by the trust” and that ‘political badges are not approved within MFT’s dress code policy.”
The Jewish Representative Council has issued an open letter to the chief executive of the MFT and the hospital.
It read: “Part of this mistreatment includes a failure to administer proper treatment and being removed from his cubicle and having to sit on the floor. This child now feels terrified to return to hospital unless he hides his Jewish identity.”
Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region chief executive Marc Levy said: “We are sure you will agree that it is imperative all patients are treated the same irrespective of their race or religion…This could have catastrophic repercussions for the Jewish community if they were to feel that they are not safe attending your hospital.”
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told the Manchester Evening News: “I have seen the troubling reports shared on social media and have asked the Royal Children’s Hospital to launch an urgent investigation. No one should feel treated differently in our hospitals because of their race or religion.
“I’ve asked the hospital management to provide regular updates as they gather the facts.”
A spokesperson for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are aware of images and very serious claims which are circulating on social media.
“We are rapidly investigating these to establish the situation and are discussing them with the family involved. Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is committed to providing high quality care to all of our patients.”
https://www.gbnews.com/news/manchester-hospital-launches-urgent-investigation-jewish-boy