The Belgian radiologist who wrote ‘Jewish’ under the medical issues section of a nine-year-old girl’s medical report has been suspended from the hospital he worked at, the facility, AZ Zeno, announced on Tuesday. Underneath the section “current problem,” Dr. Qassim Arkawazy wrote “Pain in the left forearm, fell from the climbing structure to the ground; a man fell on top of her” and subsequently “Jewish (Israeli).”
A subsequent dive into the doctor’s social media also found myriad antisemitic and Islamist posts on Facebook. This includes an AI-generated image depicting hassidic Jews as vampires about to eat a sleeping baby, as well as a cartoon of several babies decapitated by the point of a Star of David.
In a statement on Tuesday, the hospital claimed that “faith or ethnic-cultural background can be medically relevant in certain cases” and claimed that in this case, “that detail was included for medical reasons.” It said that it understood that the heading, in combination with the mention, may have come across as offensive and said it has corrected the digital patient record.
“The patient in question was contacted personally; the procedure was explained, and the situation was satisfactorily clarified.”
With regard to Arkawazy’s social media posts, the hospital acknowledged the “numerous outraged reactions” and reiterated that there is “absolutely no place for discrimination in this hospital.” It announced that it has launched an internal investigation into the doctor and confirmed that an external investigation is also underway.
“The doctor involved was suspended with immediate effect so that the investigation can proceed calmly and thoroughly.”
'Antisemitism has no place in Belgium'
The Jewish Information and Documentation Center (JID) praised the hospital’s suspension of Arkawazy, saying, “This decision shows clearly that antisemitism has no place in Belgium.”
“Antisemitism must be resolutely combated wherever it arises, especially in critical sectors like healthcare. We expect the same courageous and clear action from all institutions,” said Ralph Pais, vice president of JID.
When the news first arose on Monday, the European Jewish Council (EJC) said: “This is not just unethical; it’s dangerous. No parent should fear that their child’s care might be compromised because of their Jewish identity. We call on Belgian authorities to take immediate disciplinary action and make clear: antisemitism has no place in healthcare – or anywhere.”
It appears that, as of Wednesday, Arkawazy’s social media is no longer active.