DOCTORS BETRAYED THEIR OATH IN BAHRAIN 1

After most of charges been eliminated from the doctors who betrayed their oath in Salmaniya Medical Complex due to  pressures on the Bahraini government from foreign countries, fake Human Rights Organizations, and recently the European Parliament. 

The truth must be known. 

The criminal doctors must at least be exposed to live with shame. 

"TIMES OF TERROR"

This is a personal experience that had followed since the 13^th of Feb 2011 until the day of liberation almost after a month.

I have been working in the accident and emergency department since all these times and have come to witness many a things. Firstly during the siege of the “pearl roundabout” there was a great flare up of emotions amongst the staff in general, in the department. The Bahraini nurses headed by SN Fakhira, had begun to boycott any relations with sunni staff, sepecially the so called “Mujannasene” (Naturalized). These doctors and staff had been working for many years together with a supposedly very healthy professional relationship but suddenly it was all about sunna or shia. Some of these foreigner doctors had decided to resign and leave their countries seeing this deep seated hatred against them. A total of five doctors have resigned so far and some more are thinking not to renew their contracts after what they had witnessed during the siege. Many doctors during this time admitted to be volunteering to provide medical care at the roundabout. Doctors like Bassem Abdul Kareem and spouse Batool boasted regarding their active participation at the “roundabout clinic” and with great sympathy towards the protesters. It was supposed to be “the in thing” to be at the roundabout and whoever was not there was considered to be outsider or drop outs.

Soon after the first clearing of the pearl roundabout our hospital came under siege. It was completely taken over by the so called “Peaceful protesters” both from within and from without. The hospital police staff had disappeared suddenly. No security was around. I once saw one police man named of patients seen initially were only minor casualties but were made to be seen as extraordinary. Media personal were guided by unknown people to see these patients and were interviewed before even treatment. I have seen a few patients who were brought in and were asking for the media personal before their wounds could be treated. When he had asked for security we were ignored and once also told by the assistant under sectary for hospitals that they couldn’t do anything regarding security. Reason had been given that they do not want to get into conflicts with the protesters. Once two doctors were had witnessed a patient to be carrying dangerous explosive material in his pockets. They had reported this but no action was taken. One of those doctors has already resigned and is going back home after he experienced this horrific incident.

Many times I was approached by media personal but refused to give patient information. On the other hand they were directed to specific doctors and staff by the protesters. Most of them had nothing to do with mass casualty management but were talking like consultants. What I mean is what does a dermatologist or ENT or hematology or a dentist doctor have to do with trauma resuscitation? Examples were Dr Ali Ekri(ortho), Dr Gassan Daif (dental), Dr Samahiji (ophto), Dr Jalil Ashiri (Hematology), Sn Rula, Sn Zainab; the list is endless. These people were in the spotlight of the international media who were passing false information. Minor cases were shown to be critical. And numbers were exaggerated. People were being made as patients and put on trolleys at one gate. They were filmed and then moved to the other gate where the simply got off their beds and walked off moving towards the first gate again so that they could go through the same cycle again. This for me is just horrible. More so that no one was doing anything about it.

Protester number was increasing at the parking of the hospital. There were permanent tents set up. Some of them were displaying empty shells from teargas and shotguns. Where the sense in that? Some tents were providing food and drinks.  All meals were supplied to the protesters from here. The joke is that they were frying fish and sombusa and making majboos rite there in the parking lot. These places were completely and always occupied. Early hours of the day were usually filled with staff from within the hospital. No sense of hygiene or medical ethics was present; both outside and inside the hospital. All the gates and securities were taken over by the protesters; they were using high tech communication wakie takies for their communications. The people who were coming in and out of the hospital were totally controlled by them. The mob was in total control.  There were satellites and dish antenna put up and also a projector. God knows if these things were stolen from the hospital itself or not. The sad thing was that many of the faces in the Mob were familiar. I mean auxiliaries, nurses, doctors, security, clerks … They were all there. All the people we had worked with for so many years were all there. Who do you trust now? Can you maintain a professional relationship with them anymore?

Many people had called me for medical advice since they were not able to come to the hospital. Many were denied treatment by the Mob and directed elsewhere. “Go back to your countries” was told to some. While we watched on fearing only for our lives if we interfered. The inside of the hospital started to look like some shia religious gathering point. There was black everywhere you could see. The people who were in control were clerics dressed in black with black trubans. Who periodically visited patients and announced that all their suffering was “Ajar AU Afia”*. Where is the sense in that? They were controlling were which patients to be taken and placed. Which patients were to be treated and which “were worthy to die”. They decided who was to be interrogated and who the media were to be directed to. Total chaos.

Every evening there used to be great speeches made at the parking. Clerics and political leaders calling to their people to fight on. Telling them that they would be rewarded well. Can anyone tell me where are the medical ethics? Where are the human rights for the people? People were tearing down pictures of our great KING, CROWN PRINCE and H.E THE PRIME MINISTER. People had thrown then down on the ground and stomping on them. They should be asked if the same was done their father’s pictures how would they feel. Where are the medical ethics here? Why was medical personal doing this? Are they supposed to be civilized and literate? Why were they chanting against our beloved KING who has given us all that we have and such a great slandered of living?

I was once seeing patients who had been brought to the hospital with history of assault. That night I was posted at a health centre due to some shortage, these people were of Asian origin. They were with serious injuries but were at the health centre because they were not allowed to Salmaniya. They ranged from cut wounds and burns to fractures. They numbered about 20. On inquiring some on them had had to jump from their buildings since they were told to go to the roof and the ground floor was put on fire. Where is the humanity here and what so of the peaceful protests?

Finally I would like to say what I felt. Every time I used to go to the hospital for duties I would see my children as if it was the last time I would see them. I was very scared. I had to park my car outside the compound some times since the hospital parking was overwhelmed. My friends and family say that I have become quiet and secluded since the siege. I myself feel immense disgust to what has happened. I have lost interest in many things in life. I think I am going through depression and need some de-stressing sessions with a psychiatrist. But which doctor to trust now. I urge who ever reads to help security forces permanently at our facility in order to build the trust and confidence we once had I ourselves.  

Thank you for reading.

*Ajar: A reward from God

  Afia: Get well soon

To be continued ……..