Feud claim as probe panel puts off quizzing doctor
by mahmood on 25/07/07 at 12:57 pm · email · print
A meeting in which Bahrain Medical Society president Dr Abdulla Al Ajmi was to present himself before a Health Ministry investigation committee was postponed yesterday, allegedly due to quarrels within the group.
The ministry formed an investigation committee to look into comments he made in the local Arabic Press earlier this month, in which he said he would co-operate with a parliamentary investigation committee probing the deteriorating standard of heath services in Bahrain.
The ministry committee was formed on the basis that Dr Al Ajmi was speaking as a Salmaniya Medical Complex consultant.
However, Dr Al Ajmi maintained he was speaking in his capacity as president of the BMS, which aims to defend the rights of doctors and to contribute to improving the health services.
Dr Al Ajmi said he had received a letter notifying him that the meeting had been postponed until further notice, but said no reason had been specified.
Sources told the GDN yesterday that the meeting had been postponed due to a disagreement within the committee.
“I heard that some of the committee members believed they shouldn’t be investigating Dr Al Ajmi because he was speaking as a BMS president and they didn’t have the right,” said a source.
“There is one section that says an employee can be investigated for giving a statement to the Press without permission, but that doesn’t apply to Dr Al Ajmi because he was speaking as the president of the BMS.”
However, Health Ministry Under-Secretary Dr Aziz Hamza, who heads the 12-member investigation committee, dismissed the rumours as untrue.
“Everything is going smoothly and we will see him next week,” he told the GDN.
“There is no reason for the delay,” he added.
Twelve non-governmental organisations had earlier pledged to support Dr Al Ajmi.
GDN – 25 July, ’07
