It’s funny that when I was trying to research “Healthcare in Bahrain” in came across a pretext that seems to be floating around more than 4 websites. It starts as follows:

The quality of healthcare in Bahrain is generally high and equal to that in western Europe and the USA, except for highly specialized treatment.

Now, if you read that out to any Bahraini of any sect, any political background, of any social or economical status. The unanimous response would be little over one word.. “Bullshit”..

The government invests heavily in the local free public healthcare system, released figures for 2007 show an astonishing 128 Million Dinars in the yearly budget allocated to the running cost and improvement of local hospitals.

Bahrainis enjoy a fantastic network of fully equipped hospitals yet very few have faith when it comes to them, only those who are unfortunate enough to have private medical insurance offered by their employer or those who aren’t exactly “financially well-off” will opt for the public hospitals instead of the private ones. The ongoing nickname for the Salmaniya Medical Complex (Bahrain’s Main Hospital) is the “Slaughterhouse”, Sadly.. It earned it..

Headlines from Local newspapers:

75 patients in the «SMC» with no beds yesterday … patients with conditions including heart disease, tumors and sickle cell (Source – Arabic)

Consultant to a sickle cell patient: We have no medicine for you (Source – Arabic)

Two Obstetricians on the nightshift in SMC found asleep (Source – Arabic)

There is a huge pressure on the staff due to the massive number of patients, imagine an understaffed hospital running beyond it’s full capacity, chronically ill patients laying in hallways, the screams of others on the other end, the chatter of visitors or families complaining of poor treatment. No matter what time of the day it is, no matter what time of the year it is. Getting into a local public hospital is like entering a warzone!

Who do you think has to pay the price for the lack of organization, poorly trained stressed staff and the state of havoc surrounding the whole place?

The Patients!

Every couple of week a story of misdiagnosis, complications due to neglect makes headlines in the local the newspapers. That is besides the tens that go either un-noticed, or not reported by the patients themselves.

And like all other services related to the government in Bahrain, all fly below the radar. Not a single doctor was prosecuted for wrong diagnosis. Not a single case in the history of the country where a doctor was accused of any wrongdoing, every death no matter how bizarre, no matter what the deceased family have to say about the circumstances surrounding the death was pinned on a doctor, or a nurse. There is always an excuse.

And this keeps on repeating in an annoying manner, but like the financial sector that is immune to international market turmoil, our hospitals and their staff aren’t only impeccable, flawless and precise with every diagnosis and treatment, but are also above the law.

I really don’t understand how can authorities continue to overlook such autocracies that take place in our local hospitals.

It is one thing to have badly ran, understaffed hospitals. It is another to realize that there are doctors out there whose hands are still stained with blood of patients that could have been among us today if it wasn’t to them and patients who are still suffering from complications which could have been avoided.

How many more deaths would it take for us to wake up?

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Image Courtesy of: Chelsea Stirlen