On the occasion of the Universal Sickle Day, a number of human rights activists in Bahrain have called for the provision of necessary medical care and appropriate medication for the prisoners of conscience affected by the disease.
The activists had touched on the suffering of these detainees through a campaign entitled “Save them” on Monday, March 18, 2019, where they stated that patients with sickle disease need special attention in the normal conditions, in which they live with their families and their parents, so that they can take care of them and get them to hospital if necessary.
Nevertheless, the detainees are deliberately neglected and deprived of health care, which is their right, since the clinic of the prison is not fit for treating sickle patients, and they are even transferred to it after many attempts. Additionally they suffer from the malnutrition that is disproportionate to their condition, as their situation worsens and increases their exposure for the complications of the disease. When the detainees transfer to the hospital, they are tied to the bed in a way that hinders their movement, despite being subject to heightened security, and are denied the right to visit their families.
Here we mention some the detainees who have sickle disease: Hussain Najib, Syed Hashim al-Abbar, Hussein al-Saadi, Ahmed Mirza, Hassan Ahmed, Ali al-Damistani, Ali Jaafar al-Qayim, Ali Habib Jacob, Mohammed al-Daqaq, Hussein al-Mumin, Hussein Jacob, Hassan Abdallah, Hassan Abdulethashr, Hassan Ibrahim Dhaif, Mohamed Ahmed, Hussein Muhammad al-Qassab.
Meanwhile, three detainees died as a result of medical negligence: Hasan Jassim al-Fardan from Karzakan, Mohammed Mushaima and Jaafar al-Darazi, from al-Daiya.
