The health condition of the Egyptian detainee, Dr. Saad Mohamed Omara, 70, continues to deteriorate as the prison authorities refused to allow him to undergo a necessary operation, thus putting his life in danger.
Omara suffers from an enlarged prostate and urinary retention, despite having a urinary catheter inserted.
On July 28, 2020, security forces arrested Dr. Omara, and subjected him to enforced disappearance for about a month and a half, during which he was deprived of his medications or receiving medical treatment. Until now, the prison authorities continue to deprive him of the necessary medical treatment and subject him to deliberate medical negligence.
Egyptian prisons lack the minimum standards of health. It lacks adequate food, sanitary facilities, clean toilets, lighting and ventilation, in addition to the severe overcrowding of detainees inside small cells.
According to the families of detainees and human rights organisations; detainees are hardly ever checked by the prison doctor, who treats them poorly, and only gives them painkillers, therefore many detainees rely on their cellmate detained doctors to examine and diagnose them.
Medical negligence in prisons includes the arbitrary denial of detainee’s right to access necessary medicines, or allowing them to go to hospitals outside prison, which is much needed due to the poor facilities of the prison clinic or hospital.
The number of victims of medical negligence among political detainees since the coup against former President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 has reached 919, most of whom died as a result of medical negligence.
