Abduljalil Abdulla al-Singace

(asked on 9th September 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to reports of ongoing medical negligence in Jau Prison in Bahrain of (a) inmates not being provided with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) despite cases of covid-19 and (b) Dr Abduljalil AlSingace not receiving medical treatment, if the Government will make urgent representations to the Government of Bahrain on provision of appropriate (i) PPE and (ii) treatment for Dr AlSingace.


Answered by
James Cleverly Portrait
James Cleverly
Home Secretary
This question was answered on 17th September 2020

We are not aware of any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Bahrain's prisons. The Government of Bahrain has made clear that access to appropriate medical care for those in detention continues to be guaranteed, which means under normal circumstances that any prisoner wishing to see a doctor is taken to the prison clinic, with referral to specialist facilities where required; but that as part of Bahrain's COVID-19 precautions, all initial medical consultations now take place via video calls. Where necessary, physical appointments with external medical specialists continue to be available, although, in line with guidance issued by the World Health Organization, prisoners seeing external specialists are required to isolate for 10 days in a separate detention facility before returning to prison ensuring the safety of both patients and medical staff. We welcome these assurances from the Government of Bahrain, urge continued transparency and would encourage those with any concerns about treatment in detention to raise them with the appropriate Bahraini human rights oversight body.

Reticulating Splines