Algerians bombard Geneva hospital with Bouteflika calls

Geneva University Hospital has been inundated with calls from Algerians inquiring about their president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who is reportedly hospitalized there.  The hospital, which receives an average 3,000 calls a day, estimates that it received more than 1,500 on Tuesday about Bouteflika, reports Swiss broadcaster RTS. Hospital spokesman Nicolas de Saussure told RTS that calls had now returned to normal. He said the majority of callers from Algeria were seeking confirmation of Bouteflika’s presence at the hospital or wanting an update on his health. Only a minority of calls were “unfriendly”. The surge in calls came after a report on French television filmed secretly in the hospital’s corridors seemed to confirm Bouteflika’s continued presence in a private wing there since February 24.  An article on the Jeune Afrique website said the report had sparked a social media campaign in Algeria to inundate the hospital with calls and E-mails.  Tuesday’s episode had an effect on ...