Palestinian sick prisoners’ conditions continue to deteriorate due to medical neglect, reported Palestinian lawyers on March 30.
Ashraf Sabbah, 33, from Gaza, has been imprisoned since 2003, when he was struck by multiple bullets fired by occupation forces. He is serving a 12-year sentence. During the time of his imprisonment his health and mobility have worsened considerably. He is unable to use his left foot due to injuries to the bone, blood flow and tendons following his shooting. Doctors have told him that his left leg may need to be amputated because he has contracted MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant staph infection. His right foot is also infected and has ongoing injuries and pain due to improper healing of fractures. He cannot fully use his left hand due to nerve damage from shrapnel. On several occasions he has lost consciousness and has severe physical pain, reported his lawyer Moataz Shuqeirat.
Shuqeirat also reported that Samir Lahham, 34, from Gaza, has a tumor in his left foot that is causing him severe pain. He must use a wheelchair to move and has received no diagnosis or medical treatment for the tumor other than painkillers, he reported.
Mahmoud Ghalma of Ramallah, serving a four and a half year sentence, had three strokes over the past two months and has a hole in his heart, reported Rami al-Alami. He has received limited medical treatment in Ramon prison and is receiving sedatives. Al-Alami said that his poor health is the result of medical negligence by prison doctors.
