Indian-origin doc apologises after Bahrain hospital fires him over anti-Palestine tweets

New Delhi, Oct 20

An Indian-origin doctor in Bahrain has apologised after he was fired by the Royal Bahrain Hospital for his alleged anti-Palestine posts on social media amidst the raging Israel-Hamas conflict that has so far claimed nearly 5,000 lives.

Dr Sunil Rao, a specialist at Royal Bahrain Hospital, wrote posts on X supporting Israel and criticising terrorism, leading to his termination with "immediate effect".

"It has come to our attention that Dr Sunil Rao, who is working as a specialist in internal medicine, has posted tweets on social media that are offensive to our society. We would like to confirm that his tweets and ideology are personal and do not reflect the opinion and values of the hospital," the Royal Bahrain Hospital said in a statement posted on X.

"This is a violation of our code of conduct, and we have taken the necessary legal actions, and his service has been terminated with immediate effect,” the statement added.

As per his X profile, Rao is a specialist in internal medicine, and an alumnus of Andhra Medical College in Visakhapatnam and Kasturba Medical College in Karnataka.

Rao, who has been working in Bahrain for the past 10 years, apologised for not taking the sensitivity of the situation into account before posting.

"I would like to apologise about the statement that I posted on this platform. It was insensitive in the context of the current event. As a doctor, all lives matter. I respect this country, its people, and its religion deeply, as I have been here for the past 10 years," Rao wrote on X on Thursday.

Stating that he 'profoundly regrets his words and action', Rao also posted the message in Arabic, saying he "did not take into account the sensitivity of the situation in the context of the current event".

In fresh attacks, the Palestinian health ministry said on Friday that 13 people, including five children, were killed after Israeli forces raided and carried out an air strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

The deadly bombing at Al Ahli Arab Baptist hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday left at least 471 people dead, including children, healthcare staff and Internally Displaced People.

Since October 11, Gaza has been under a full electricity blackout, following Israel’s halt of its electricity and fuel supply, which in turn triggered the shutdown of the besieged enclave’s sole power plant.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs said that the complete siege of Gaza continues, with the Rafah, Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings remaining closed.