Student protesters from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine on Monday staged a protest in front of the Emergency Center in Belgrade, demanding that the institution release accurate information regarding the number of patients who reported symptoms such as nausea and headaches following an incident during the 15 minutes of silence at the March 15 protest in Belgrade.
“After the protest held on Saturday, March 15, a significant number of students and citizens experienced symptoms like nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, and ringing in the ears, which is why they sought medical help at the emergency services of the University Clinical Center of Serbia. People also reported the malfunctioning of heart rhythm monitoring devices. Additionally, many people sustained orthopedic injuries during a stampede on Kralja Milana Street,” the statement reads.
The people’s confusion and the stampede were allegedly caused by a device that, according to students, has effects similar to that of a sonic weapon – equipment prohibited in Serbia by Article 106 of the Law on Police.
“The Emergency Center of the University Clinical Center of Serbia denied these claims and condemned the ‘spreading of panic,’ saying that the Emergency Center is operating as usual and that the emergency rooms are not ‘overcrowded’ with patients presenting the aforementioned symptoms of ‘sonic impact.’ In the afternoon on Sunday, March 16, people approached us, saying that they were targeted at the Emergency Center, with their intake forms marked with ‘PROTEST.’ They were told that they could not be examined if they reported the mentioned symptoms experienced during the protest. Denying of medical help is an unacceptable act that goes against all ethical principles we have been taught, and we sternly condemn every individual who refused to provide aid to a patient for any reason,” the protesting medical students said.
They acknowledged that the majority of the Emergency Center staff are not involved in these shameful events.
“We thank all healthcare workers who do their jobs honorably and stand with the people. We demand that the University Clinical Center of Serbia release accurate information about the number of patients who sought help at the Emergency Center with the mentioned symptoms following the protest. We call on the Serbian Medical Chamber to hold accountable any healthcare worker who participated in targeting patients, denying healthcare, and politically labeling individuals, thereby directly violating the Hippocratic oath,” the students said.
