Medical negligence claims refuted

The Health Ministry yesterday refuted allegations from a patient who claimed that he was denied treatment at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) on Sunday.

This came after a Bahraini citizen, who identified himself as Ali Al Qassab, was seen in footage that went viral online while he was swirling in pain on the floor at the doorsteps of the Hereditary Blood Disorder Centre in SMC.  Speaking in the video, the man claimed that he is a Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) patient and that he was denied access to the center, naming one of the center’s officials who allegedly prevented him from entering. “I am in terrible pain now. No one cares about me. I have been waiting for half an hour. There is no treatment for me at the emergency department, and I am denied entry to the center.

“They don’t want me to be treated in the center,” the man was heard saying in the video.   In a statement it termed as “urgent”, the ministry denied the man’s allegations and affirmed that he had received the necessary treatment by a specialized team of doctors and that his condition is stable, not as he claimed in the video.

The ministry said in a statement it posted on its official social media pages: “In response to a video on social media showing an SCD patient lying on the ground near the Hereditary  Blood Disorder Centre in SMC, the ministry wishes to express its deep regret at the irresponsible actions taken by the patient and the person who filmed him with the intention of defaming the provided health services.

“The center’s administration confirms that the patient has been examined by specialists and he was provided with the appropriate treatment for his condition, and he is under medical supervision and close follow-up.”