Anchorage hospital employee charged with sexually assaulting patient

An Anchorage hospital employee faces charges he sexually assaulted a patient while at work.

Ibrahim Akal, 24, was a member of the Providence Alaska Medical Center transport team when he encountered the patient on May 2, according to a criminal complaint filed this week with charges.

Akal was arrested Monday on charges of first- and second-degree sexual assault. He was in custody Tuesday morning at the Anchorage Correctional Complex and being held on a $20,000 bail.

He is currently on unpaid administrative leave, a hospital spokesman said.

The female patient was sent to the hospital from the Anchorage Safety Center early May 3 because she had hit her head on the facility’s concrete floor, according to a sworn affidavit written by Anchorage police detective Gabriel Brown and attached to the charges. She later told detectives she was disoriented when she arrived at the emergency room because of the head injury and because she was intoxicated.

Akal and one other employee transported her from an ER exam room to a medical scan room and then returned her to the ER room, the affidavit said.

The other transport team member left the room, but Akal stayed behind and sexually assaulted the woman, the charges said.

The woman called for help from a nurse immediately after the assault but then called 911, according to the affidavit. Police collected evidence from the room and looked at surveillance footage, it said. The woman also underwent a sexual assault examination to collect DNA, the charges said.

During an interview with detectives, Akal initially denied that he sexually assaulted the woman but later indicated that he had assaulted her, the affidavit said.

When detectives asked if the assault was a one-time occurrence or part of a broader pattern of conduct, Akal did not answer and requested an attorney, the affidavit said.

In his role as a transport team member, Akal was not permitted to conduct patient care outside the direction of a nurse or doctor and had no reason to touch patients aside from moving their bed, the affidavit said.

Akal has been working full time at Providence since 2020, according to Mikal Canfield, a spokesman for the hospital. His application for employment did not show previous experience at other hospitals, Canfield said.

Police believe he may have more victims, but a spokeswoman with the department would not provide additional information. Anyone who believes they are a victim of Akal can contact Brown at 907-786-8914.

In a statement, the hospital said it is working with law enforcement as part of the ongoing investigation. Officials at the hospital are also investigating internally, Canfield said.