Manama: A masked teenager who was hit by a car as he attempted to block a road with tyres to be set ablaze has been admitted to Bahrain’s main hospital after his family initially hesitated to seek medical treatment fearing punitive action by the authorities.
The 16-year-old, who was taken away by other teenagers who were with him following the accident on Saturday needed medical help, but his family avoided taking him to hospital for fear he would be arrested by the police for blocking the road. Instead, he was given treatment at a makeshift clinic.
Pictures of the injured teenager circulated on social networks showed that he had a gaping wound to his abdomen. Doctors who saw the pictures were quick to point out that he faced grave medical complications and urged his family to have him properly treated at a hospital.
Abdullah Al Durazi, the deputy chairman of the National Institution for Human Rights, also reached out to the family and pledged to provide assistance. His efforts seemed to have paid off and the teenager was eventually admitted on Wednesday evening into the intensive care unit of the Salmaniya Medical Complex where he was taken by an ambulance dispatched by the Health Ministry.
Initial reports suggested the teenager had suffered bruising after being hit by a speeding car apparently trying to avoid the roadblock near Hamad town, but added that his condition was stable.
“The institution had contacts with the teenager’s family to enable him to be given the proper treatment and the medical care he needed,” Abdullah Al Durazi said. “We have deployed special efforts with the family to convince them about the significance of having him in a proper hospital to be treated. Both the health and interior ministries showed a commendable level of understanding and cooperation. The Health Ministry sent out an ambulance to their residence and he was driven to the Salmaniya hospital with some of his relatives,” he said.
Blocking roads with tyres set ablaze has become a common tactic among anti-government demonstrators in Bahrain, and motorists often have to wait until the police put out the fire and clear the debris.
