ACTIVISTS yesterday blamed the latest death of a Bahraini sickle cell patient at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) on a lack of a proper protocol. No one at the hospital knows exactly what to do when a patient arrives at the Accident and Emergency Department, said Bahrain Society for Sickle Cell Anaemia Patient Care secretary Hameed Marhoon.
“All patients are given the same treatment and the same drugs, never mind allergic reactions some of them might have,” he said.
Mr Marhoon was speaking as 20 sickle cell patients waited for regular beds at the department’s ‘E Room’ at around 5pm yesterday.
“At least two are in a condition that they cannot be treated at the department,” he said.
“They have to be given drugs that can only be administered at special facilities available only in the wards.
“One of them has been waiting for the last two days and he is in severe pain, but he is being ignored.”
Mr Marhoon said that the latest victim was 35-year-old Riyadh Ahmed Mansoor, from Salmabad.
“Mr Mansoor was in the Accident and Emergency Department for two days before he was shifted to the ward, where he developed complications and died,” he said.
“He could possibly have been saved had he been shifted earlier for the treatment to start.”
“His family members are devastated since they had lost another family member, as his elder brother Mansoor died from the disease in similar circumstances in 2004.”
Mr Marhoon said activists were not sure whether the family wanted to take up the matter with the Health Ministry.
“We are still waiting a promised new probe into several other deaths we felt were the result of negligence or a bed shortage,” he said.
“The first probe was certainly a cover-up and we had protested so the authorities have promised another one. We do not know when that would happen.”
Mr Marhoon said, however, they were going ahead with plans to present a petition to His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, on the issue.
“We intend to send the letter before the Al Hijra New Year, which falls on December 7,” he said.
Mr Mansoor’s death was the 27th this year due to sickle cell disease.
At least seven deaths have been blamed on either lack of attention, negligence or a beds shortage at the hospital.
MANDEEP SINGH
Gulf Daily