College of surgeons pressed on Bahrain

THE EDITOR of the British Medical Journal has called on the president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland to “clarify his position as a matter of urgency” in relation to the college’s links with the government of Bahrain following the sentencing of 20 medical staff in the kingdom last week.

In a commentary published online yesterday, Dr Fiona Godlee said the BMJ remained deeply concerned about the college’s stance and that clarification was needed urgently “unless the college wants to open itself to charges of complicity”.

“By not making a statement distancing itself from the Bahrain government’s action, RCSI is indirectly providing support for Bahrain and simply damaging the college’s reputation,” Dr Godlee told The Irish Times last night.

Six of the 20 individuals who have been sentenced to up to 15 years in jail for their alleged role in provoking sectarian hatred during pro-democracy unrest in Bahrain in the spring were educated at the college of surgeons in Dublin.

The accused deny the charges. Earlier this week, the public prosecutor in Bahrain ordered a retrial in a civilian court in what some observers say may be a step towards reducing their sentences.

The college has invested €60 million in a medical school campus in Bahrain.

It has been the subject of strong criticism for its stance from medical and nursing organisations here as well as some prominent doctors from other medical schools in the Republic.

Asked to react to the statement from the British Medical Journal, the RCSI said it would be responding to the editorial.