Rights group: Prisons Authority ignores medical needs of inmates

A rights group says they have received over 350 complaints in the last year dealing with the treatment of prisoners seeking medical treatment while incarcerated.

Doctors for Human Rights blamed Prisons Service doctors as practicing dual loyalty -often putting the concerns of their employer above those of the patients they are responsible for treating.

The group issued a report detailing several particular incidents of wrongdoing, including a Palestinian prisoner who was left handcuffed to a hospital bed while he was dying of a gunshot wound, and a refugee from Darfur who was kept handcuffed while undergoing treatment for Leukemia.

The rights group also said that AIDS patients incarcerated in the prison system were not informed that they were eligible to receive medical care.

Many of the complainants said that conditions in the prisons worsened their medical conditions, including five patients suffering from heart and lung disease who were placed in the same cell with inmates who were cigarette smokers. In addition, seven inmates suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure complained that they were prevented from maintaining a doctor-recommended diet, and instead had to make do with food given to the general inmate population.

An additional complaint dealt with inmates who refused to go for medical treatment outside of prison walls due to the harsh conditions of the commute to the treatment facility. One inmate, who was in need of a surgical procedure, said he refused the procedure, as it would require traveling from Afula to Ramle. The inmate said the drive can take as long as 12 hours and the passengers are forced to sit handcuffed on metal benches and are often not allowed to go to the bathroom or eat or drink.

The Prisons Services issued a response to the report saying that their medical procedures are "professional and go out of their way to ensure good, quality service."

The statement also said that the allegations of dual-loyalty in the report are inconsistent with the day to day professionalism of the Prisons Service.