PALESTINIAN PRISONERS DENIED PROPER MEDICAL CARE IN ISRAELI PRISONS

Ramallah, 3 Rabi’ul Akhir 1436/24 January 2014 (MINA) –The Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Committee lawyers Thursday said that Palestinian prisoners in Israeli Prisons are denied the proper medical care guaranteed by International law which led the deterioration of their overall health.

The Committee’s lawyer Kareem Ajwa said that prisoner Mohammad Brash in Askalan “Ashkelon” Prison, who is sentenced to life, is in grave need to be admitted to a hospital, as he started to fall into comas, especially after being diagnosed with Tachycardia, Hypertension and diabetes.

Brash had his leg amputated and is now bleeding, which resulted in a severe infection in addition to a difficulty in vision and hearing, WAFA Palestinian Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The committee said he is in desperate need of a new prosthesis to replace his old one, and needs a Corneal Transplantation in his left eye.

The lawyer said that Brash needed a new prosthesis and paid 25% of its cost, but the prison administration informed him that they will not be replacing it; only a part of it will be renewed, leaving him with the same dysfunctional old device.

The Committee’s lawyer Hanan Khateeb, said that the sick prisoners, particularly those disabled and held in al-Ramla Hospital are suffering from constantly deteriorating health conditions and are in serious conditions.

Khateeb said that the handicapped prisoner Nahed al-Aqr’ also has an amputated leg that is bleeding. She explained that his leg was amputated twice because of infections.

According to the committee, the prisoner al-Aqra’ is suffering constant ache and pain killers are unable to improve relieve his pain.

Al-Aqra’ informed the lawyers that the prison’s administration and the doctors hold full responsibility for his worsening health condition, adding that if he had received the necessary medical care from the beginning, he wouldn’t have needed an amputation.

“Due to the lack of proper medical treatment, his leg was infected and his tissues were damaged,” said the lawyer.

Meanwhile the prisoners of Eshel prison in Beersheba accused the prison’s administration and the doctors in charge of them of attempting to kill the sick prisoner Rabe’ Sbeah.

Sbeah suffers from a chronic heart disease and has a difficulty in breathing as he was diagnosed with Myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the cardiac muscle, and Heart Valve Disease, which was developed after being given the wrong medication by the prison’s nurse.

The prisoners of Eshel filed a complaint against the prisons’ administration saying they continue to neglect the health condition of Sbeah. The prisoners closed their division and returned meals in protest of the prison’s administration’s policies.

Medical negligence is considered a major reason for the death of tens of Palestinians locked behind Israeli bars. Israeli Authorities continue to neglect about 2,000 prisoners with health problems, including 160 diagnosed with chronic diseases, said the committee. (T/R05/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)