Bahrain Medical Society President Sets Record Straight About Alleged Abuses

WASHINGTON, May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Anti-government protesters blocked access to a key medical facility in Bahrain, denying treatment to Bahraini residents in need, said the president of the Bahrain Medical Society.

In an interview on a visit to Washington, Dr. Nabeel AlAnsari, a private citizen, asserted that media reports fueled by anti-government opposition forces are incorrect.

"The protesters took over the Salmaniya Medical Complex and occupied it for four weeks," Dr. AlAnsari said. "They used this as a base to riot and prevent people from accessing the hospital."

Dr. AlAnsari said that media reports that stated that the government was blocking the hospital and denying care to sick Bahrainis in need were incorrect.

According to Dr. AlAnsari, "During those four weeks, there were a lot of deaths from people who were staying at home because they feared going to the hospital. Also, ambulance services were denied to people who needed them because the ambulance services were controlled and run by the demonstrators."

The situation became dire when patients with serious conditions were not able to receive the treatment they needed, Dr. Al Ansari commented.

"There were a lot voices screaming at the government to do something," Dr. AlAnsari said.  "We need to be able to get to health care. There are a lot of oncology patients, and Salmaniya Medical Complex is the only oncology center in the country, so people with cancer cannot go anywhere else except there. Some of the patients need to be treated twice a week, depending on what kind of regimen of treatment they have. Some patients need dialysis twice a week, and this was the main center for getting treatment. A lot of people suffered from complications because they did not have access to the hospital or it services."

Dr. AlAnsari said that finally government agencies intervened and order was restored to the hospital.

"They made sure the area was clear and access to health care has been reopened," Dr. AlAnsari said. "What happened during that period, those four weeks, set Bahrain back a few years. Now we are starting to restore what we lost and move forward."

SOURCE Kingdom of Bahrain

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