Millions of Filipino nurses contribute their services to hospitals all over the world, and while it’s a fairly lucrative job that allows them to provide for their families back home, some are not spared from the abuse other overseas Filipino workers experience.
Yesterday, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that a Filipino nurse working in Saudi Arabia was stabbed multiple times after CCTV footage of the incident went viral on social media.
The victim, 29-year-old Rolando Mina of Caloocan City, was working in the hospital’s emergency room when a 22-year-old Saudi man went behind the counter where he was working and started to stab him with what appears to be a knife.
Mina sustained multiple stab wounds on his arms but is currently in stable condition.
According to the DFA, the incident happened on Thursday and the case is now being dealt with by the public prosecutor.
The assailant has been arrested and is in police custody, but investigators are still struggling to determine a motive as Mina said he did not know the man prior to the attack.
Madinah Health Affairs chief Abdulhameed Al-Subhi told Saudi Gazette that the attacker may be suffering from a mental illness.
“The family of the attacker said that he suffers from a mental illness. However, that does not excuse his actions. He should be admitted to a mental institute and must not be released until he goes through comprehensive rehabilitation,” Al-Subhi said.
Hospital management has provided Mina with a security guard and will continue paying his salary as he recuperates. Representatives from the Saudi Ministry of Health also visited Mina in the hospital a day after the incident occurred.
This comes after two months after the Philippine government said it was considering a ban on the deployment of OFWs to Saudi Arabia — similar to the one placed on Kuwait — after it was found that some domestic workers were being illegally traded among their employers.
After months of tension between the Philippines and Kuwait, the ban on OFW deployment to the Gulf nation was lifted last week after the two countries signed a memorandum of agreement to strengthen the rights of Filipino domestic workers.
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