Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Chapter V — Events at Salmaniya Medical Complex
personnel. The Commission has no record of medical staff responding to this
allegation.
730. All the above allegations by the GoB have been denied by accused
medical personnel. In response to the allegation that medical staff used
atropine on patients in order to simulate nerve gas injuries, one doctor stated
that on 13 March 2011 the medical crew at SMC witnessed strange injuries to
protesters which involved spasms and convulsions that they were unable to
identify clearly. They suspected that the injuries might be the result of a type
of phosphorus or nerve gas. They subsequently dealt with the protesters in
accordance with the symptoms using atropine, cortisone and oxygen. He
further stated that it was a hectic day with many patients on the floor of the
hospital and in the car park, including many cases of gas inhalation.
731. In relation to the allegation that protesters poured blood on
themselves, the response of the accused medical personnel is based on
Defence witness statements presented in Case No. 191 of 2011. These
statements claim that any blood had to be signed for by a doctor and the
person in charge of the blood bank, and that this would have made it
extremely difficult, if not impossible, for doctors to obtain large quantities of
blood without it being signed for. 336
732. The accused medical personnel stated that interviews were given to
foreign media, but deny that these contained any intentional false statements.
The doctor referred to in paragraph 728 stated that he gave interviews to
international media, such as Al Jazeera, regarding the incidents involving the
hospital and the numbers of injured being treated at the hospital. 337 On 18
February 2011, he gave an interview to Al Jazeera stating that there were
hundreds of injured persons at SMC. He thought it was his duty to give a true
and unaltered picture of what was going on inside the hospital. He considered
that the information that the MoH was giving to the public and international
media was simply incorrect. The number of injured persons was understated.
He stated that the Minister of Health gave a statement that was completely
inaccurate in relation to both the numbers of injured and incidents involving
SMC. The Minister of Health had previously stated on television that there
were only seven patients with minor injuries. 338
(3) Granting access to the media
733. This allegation relates to: (i) facilitating media access to SMC; (ii)
giving interviews to the media; and (iii) compromising patient confidentiality.
734. Video footage shows that the media was able to conduct interviews
and obtain footage from within SMC. The accused medical personnel have
confirmed that they conducted interviews with the media inside the
336
Minutes of court hearing on 20 June in Case No. 191 of 2011.
337
Witness statement provided to the Commission, 2 August 2011.
338
The second announcement: the Bahrain Medical Society and the Bahrain Dentists Society,
Al Wasat News (19 February 2011),
http://www.alwasatnews.com/3088/news/read/528059/1.html accessed 4 November 2011
(Arabic Text).
187