Manama: Bahrain, on Sunday, denied reports it had stopped financing the cancer treatment of Hassan Mshaima, the head of the Haq Movement.
The political activist admitted, this summer, that he was suffering from cancer and told supporters that he’d be travelling to Turkey and then to Britain for treatment.
The government was paying for the treatment, but recent posts have claimed the health ministry has now decided to cut off his financial assistance.
"The claims that the Bahraini government has decided to stop paying for the treatment of Hassan Mshaima are blatant lies and an attempt by some people to change facts for self-serving purposes," the medical attaché at the Bahraini embassy in London said.
"The health ministry had sent Hassan Mshaima to Turkey, for medical diagnosis, and afterwards to Britain for treatment, with the Bahraini government paying for all expenses. The health ministry has not stopped the financing, and the Bahraini embassy in London was, in fact, asked to cover all the expenses in the most appropriate way."
However, Mshaima has now turned down the offer of financial help, claiming that other sources are willing to foot the bill and that he does not want any help from the Bahraini government.
"Hassan Mshaima has been under pressure from his son Ali to take this new stance towards the government, even though paying for the treatment was mainly a humanitarian issue unrelated to politics or propaganda," the medical attaché was quoted by Bahrain News Agency (BNA) as saying.
