THE ROYAL College of Surgeons in Ireland has expressed “deep concerns for the rights of detained medical personnel” in Bahrain in its first public statement criticizing the actions of the ruling regime in the kingdom.
THE ROYAL College of Surgeons in Ireland has expressed “deep concerns
for the rights of detained medical personnel” in Bahrain in its first
public statement criticizing the actions of the ruling regime in the
kingdom.
The college, which has invested €70 million in a medical campus and
university in Bahrain, also calls for “dialogue and reconciliation”
following civil protests that erupted earlier this year.
At least 29 people died in the protests, which were inspired by the
“Arab Spring” demonstrations sweeping Tunisia and Egypt. And in a move
condemned by the UN and human rights groups, Bahrain security forces
arrested 47 medics – some of whom were trained in Ireland by the college
– accusing them of inciting the violence and mistreating patients.
The medics, who are facing military trial in Bahrain, have denied the
charges. At least one of the doctors, who was trained in Ireland, has
alleged he was tortured in prison to extract confessions.
In a letter published in The Irish Times today , college chief
executive Cathal Kelly writes that “punishing doctors or nurses for
treating patients, irrespective of their background, is completely
unacceptable”.
“Governments should not infringe upon the duties of medical
professionals and should not target or punish those who seek to uphold
these internationally recognized principles,” he says.
The letter from Prof Kelly follows strong criticism of the college’s
public silence on the fate of the medics from fellow medical
professionals over several weeks.
Amnesty International has asked the college to use its influence with the authorities in Bahrain to secure the medics’ release.
In his letter Prof Kelly says the college’s approach to date of
minimising public statements in Ireland has been guided by what it
judged to be most effective in Bahrain. But he says he has met senior
government ministers in Bahrain on six occasions since February to
discuss the matter.
“The focus of these meetings was to express our deep concerns for the rights of the detained medical personnel,” he writes.
The Royal College of Physicians in Ireland has also written a letter
to The Irish Times today supporting calls for justice for the doctors in
detention in Bahrain.
“Hospitals should be neutral sanctuaries for the care of the ill and
the injured and should not be used as political platforms or targets for
military activity,” it says.
Full text of the letter
Treatment of medics in Bahrain
Sir, – The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) fully respects
the unequivocal right of all doctors to practice as enshrined in the
Geneva Convention. We are very aware of and concerned about the plight
of those detained in Bahrain.
RCSI is a not-for-profit organization. Our mandate is to focus on
education in the health sciences. We are internationally-focused,
working in Africa, the Middle East and Far East as well as in Ireland.
Many of the countries have very different cultures and are at different
stages in their political evolution. This diversity is a challenge that
faces all organizations that work overseas.
Since the beginning of these events we have endeavoured to ensure the
safety of our 900 students and 100 staff in Bahrain, to enable our
students to complete their programmes and to advocate for the rights of
the arrested healthcare professionals. Our approach has been guided by
what we have judged to be most effective in Bahrain. In support of this
approach we have chosen to minimise public statements in Ireland.
We have attached considerable importance to ensuring the continuity
of the education of our students. When the situation first escalated in
February, we temporarily suspended teaching and staff continued to
attend the university maintaining it as a focus for our students. We
developed an evacuation plan and when the situation deteriorated we
evacuated students and staff who wished to leave. A core group of staff
remained in Bahrain to maintain the university and to set up and staff a
temporary AE unit for the local population in Muharraq. We developed
contingency plans to ensure that irrespective of political unrest, our
final medical year students would graduate on time. A delay in
graduation for this class would mean a full year of lost employment at a
pivotal time in their careers.
Last week 53 medical doctors and 70 nurses graduated as originally
scheduled. It was important that the graduation take place as a tribute
to the commitment and courage of these young people. Many of these
students are the first members of their family to attend a university
and to obtain a degree. This degree is an avenue to an infinitely better
future for them and their families.
Medical practice is a privilege which carries rights and
responsibilities. Doctors have a responsibility to treat all patients,
irrespective of their background, to the highest possible standard,
under all circumstances.
Hospitals must be politically neutral. Society has a responsibility
to allow doctors and nurses to treat all patients in need. The
protection and care of people wounded in conflict is a basic right
guaranteed by the Geneva Convention. Punishing doctors or nurses for
treating patients, irrespective of their background, is completely
unacceptable. The World Medical Association’s International Code of
Medical Ethics and its Medical Ethics Manual define the duties of
physicians as including the administration of emergency care and
adhering to principles of non-discrimination. Governments should not
infringe upon the duties of medical professionals and should not target
or punish those who seek to uphold these internationally recognised
principles.
On six separate visits to Bahrain since February I have met senior
Bahraini government ministers. The focus of these meetings was to
express our deep concerns for the rights of the detained medical
personnel.
The future for Bahrain has to be one of dialogue and reconciliation.
Our own national story tells us that this will not be resolved quickly.
We will continue to contribute through education and continue to
advocate for just outcomes. – Yours, etc,
CATHAL J KELLY,
Chief Executive/Registrar,
Royal College of Surgeons in
Ireland,
St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2.
Sir, – The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) is supporting calls for justice for doctors arrested in Bahrain.
Within the past week, the president of RCPI visited Bahrain with two
specific objectives. First, to attend the conferring ceremony for
graduating students of the RCSI medical school in Bahrain. These young
doctors have managed to complete their undergraduate medical studies in
extremely difficult, even dangerous circumstances.
Second, it was hoped that this visit to Bahrain would provide an
opportunity for RCPI to gather some first-hand, albeit limited,
knowledge within Bahrain itself, rather than basing an opinion solely on
third-party and media reports.
In doing so, RCPI believes it may be better-positioned to understand
the situation in Bahrain, and less likely to place others in danger as a
result of ill-informed commentary.
Based on the conclusions we reached as a result of this visit, our
communication with RCSI, and the range of recent international coverage
of the situation in Bahrain, RCPI would like to make the following
comments: It is clear that there are conflicting and trenchantly-held
views on what actually happened in Salmaniya Hospital and the reasons
for the arrest of the doctors in question. On the one hand, there are
allegations that doctors abused their position and refused to provide
care to patients because of their ethnicity. On the other hand, many
respected international bodies, including the Office of the UN
Commissioner for Human Rights, have rejected this position and have
strongly asserted these doctors are innocent and that they were arrested
for providing medical care to protesters.
Either position, if proven, is unacceptable. A doctor’s first and
most important responsibility is to care for all patients equally,
regardless of their political or religious views. This responsibility is
at the core of their professional obligation. Equally, it is
unacceptable that a state would arrest and prosecute doctors and other
healthcare workers for carrying out their professional duty of care to
any patient.
The events of the past few months in Bahrain have been shocking.
Unquestionably, this has damaged the international reputation of Bahrain
and, sadly, has undermined the efforts towards modernization and
reform, particularly in relation to healthcare that have been underway
in Bahrain in recent years.
Hospitals should be neutral sanctuaries for the care of the ill and
the injured and should not be used as political platforms or targets for
military activity. Doctors, nurses and all healthcare professionals
should be free to treat the sick and injured in accordance with
professional ethics without fear of intimidation, assault or
imprisonment.
In the interests of all the people of Bahrain, and in particular
those awaiting trial, it is essential that the judicial process now
underway is unequivocally fair and just, and clearly seen to arrive at
the truth of what happened. Anything less than this will do irreparable
damage to Bahrain, its international reputation and the practice of
medicine there. – Yours, etc,
Dr JOHN DONOHOE,
President; Prof JOHN CROWE, President-Designate; Prof FRANK MURRAY,
Registrar; Prof CONOR O’KEANE, Treasurer; LEO KEARNS, Chief Executive
Officer,
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland,
South Frederick Street,
Dublin 2.
