Warning to injured youth

Feb 27, 2013 (Gulf Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- DOCTORS have warned that a masked youth knocked down by a car as he blocked a road with tyres could die if he does not receive urgent medical attention.

Police on Sunday urged those treating him to take him to hospital, warning they would be held responsible for any complications if they didn't.

However, he had still not been brought forward yesterday and images circulated online suggest he suffered a gaping wound that was stitched up at a makeshift clinic by people using an iPhone to provide light.

The pictures, which were uploaded to the Internet by a member of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, were forwarded by the GDN to two senior doctors who are experts in trauma cases.

Both said the youth could face major health complications and could even die if he did not receive proper care.

"Based on the pictures we have seen, this youth requires urgent multiple X-rays of his chest, pelvis and skull area," a BDF doctor told the GDN yesterday.

It appeared those stitching the wound were amateurs -- not professional medics, he added.

"They were using betadine gauze pads while another person was stitching the wound.

"The person is strictly not trained well and not a proper doctor, based on the way the stitching is done," he said Warning The BDF doctor, who asked not to be named, warned there could also be internal injuries that could cause major complications.

"Looking at the picture he appears to have a pelvis injury, which could also lacerate the abdomen," he said.

"If it is a hip fracture, there could be high chances of internal bleeding. This all could be fatal.

"This patient could be easily treated at a hospital and his condition would be stabilised, but until then he is suffering in pain." It is assumed the youth has not been taken to hospital because video footage of the incident shows that he was actively involved in blocking a road with tyres, which were about to be set on fire, and could therefore be prosecuted.

However, a senior doctor at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) who saw the pictures warned there was a high risk of infection if he was not treated, which could lead to death.

"Such an injury should be properly investigated in a hospital setting," he said, also on condition of anonymity.

"Corrective steps should be immediately taken to prevent complications which, if not treated in time, could result in severe infection." Meanwhile, a senior health official who also saw the pictures predicted it was only a matter of time before the youth's condition deteriorated.

"If these pictures are of the trauma victim being treated, it is certainly not a sterile environment," he said.

"It is just a matter of time until we get news of either a fatality or a severe, complicated medical case." He added authorities were serious about cracking down on illegal clinics in different parts of the country, which treat injured anti-government protesters and rioters.

"We are co-ordinating with concerned authorities to put an end to such practices," he said.

Sources confirmed that raids to weed out such clinics were already underway.

Meanwhile, police yesterday confirmed there was still no news of the injured youth, who was hit by a GMC that drove through an illegal roadblock in the Dar Kulaib area of Hamad Town.

An official said investigations were continuing.

The dramatic moment was caught on camera by masked youths who were involved in blocking the road. The video was uploaded to YouTube on Saturday.

It has since gone viral and had clocked up more than 220,000 views until yesterday, with more than 1,300 likes and 200 dislikes.

The driver of the vehicle has reported to a police station, but his neighbours have been conducting patrols outside his home after opposition activists posted his vehicle registration number online -- prompting fears of possible reprisal attacks. sandy@gdn.com.bh ___ (c)2013 the Gulf Daily News (Manama, Bahrain) Visit the Gulf Daily News (Manama, Bahrain) at www.gulf-daily-news.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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