Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): An EMS worker reports that the military hospital was called and informed about the condition of a patient which was critical. The worker waits for the hospital's response, however, his request is refused and he was, instead, ordered to transfer the patient to the Al-Salmaniya Medical Complex.

In another case, the ambulance transfers a patient to the emergency department at King Hamad Hospital and the hospital refuses to treat him and requests to transfer him to Al-Salmaniya. His condition worsens since he did not receive rapid treatment, except for resuscitation attempts by ambulance workers.

This is repeated constantly, as the military hospital and King Hamad Hospital do not receive all patients. One is designated for military personnel, most of whom are naturalized citizens, and the other is dedicated to residents of Al-Muharraq Governorate, while Al-Salmaniya receives all other citizens, foreigners, tourists and naturalized citizens in the country.

There is chaos in managing the medical sector. Patients are not getting proper treatment, while others are dying due to repeated medical errors. So who is responsible? 

In fact, there isn't just one person that solely responsible, as health affairs have been lost between posts: Post of the head of the Supreme Council of Health, post of the head of the King's Hospital, post of the commander of the Royal Medical Services and post of the Health Minister.

Four officials control the lives of citizens. Each one of them wants something different, one opens a hospital, another closes it, while another wants to privatize the sector to get rid of "financial burdens", and the other considers that it's too much for a certain group of people to receive treatment or even give treatment.

There are hundreds of unemployed doctors, nurses and technicians in the medical sector, whose services Bahrain is losing because politics control everything, which has resulted in compromising everyone's rights to receive appropriate care and treatment.

So why are unemployed Bahrainis not being hired to work in emergency departments and other departments to reduce waiting times? Why aren't all hospitals open to citizens for treatment? Why are new hospitals not being built?

Many reviewers confirm that some foreign doctors working at King Hamad Hospital are not qualified to work in the hospital and some do not even know how to use the available technologies.

They are only brought to work in Bahrain because someone decided that a group of people should remain marginalized and deprived of their right to work, even if this entails other groups being denied treatment opportunities as well.

The lack of employment of Bahraini doctors has affected the quality of medical services, as did the harassment of consultants and specialists who have had to leave government hospitals or even the country.

Priorities in the country have been absent, yet it has become a priority to deny a sect its right to work, instead of providing quality medical care to all citizens.

The punishment of a certain category of doctors and consultants took precedence over the rights of the largest group of people from Muharraq to Malikiyah.

The compass is broken in this island kingdom, as financing the purchase of a loss-making car company has become a priority over the construction of a new hospital that can relieve pressure on existing hospitals, just because a certain senior Sheikh loves cars.

In fact, the one who sets priorities is the one responsible, not a minister appointed here and an official there to implement the orders of the one who appointed him. Minor employees are not to be blamed for the issues the country suffers from, but rather those who control the political, administrative and financial decisions.

Arabic Version