Bahrain_King_–Shaikh_Hamad_bin_Issa_Al_Khalifa-October_2011

THE WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, INC.
LʼASSOCIATION MEDICALE MONDIALE, INC
ASOCIACION MEDICA MUNDIAL, INC
Centre International de Bureaux :
Immeuble A “Keynes” Website : www.wma.net Postal Address :
13, chemin du Levant Telephone : (33) 4 50 40 75 75 Boîte Postale 63
01210 FERNEY-VOLTAIRE Fax : (33) 4 50 40 59 37 01212 FERNEY-VOLTAIRE Cedex
France E-mail address : wma@wma.net France
King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa
Office of His Majesty the King
P.O. Box 555
Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama,
Bahrain
Fax : +973 17 66 45 87
13 October 2011
Protection of Physicians and their Association in Bahrain
Your Majesty,
The Council of the World Medical Association (WMA), the global federation of
National Medical Associations representing the millions of physicians worldwide
meeting this week in Montevideo Uruguay is asking for your kind attention to the
attached resolutions.
Our first Resolution on Bahrain addresses the procedures against some physicians
that have been recently tried and sentenced to long prison sentences. We are hopeful
that their announced retrial will follow international standards for fair trials.
The second resolution on the Independence of Medical Associations addresses the
takeover of the medical associations by government. Although the Bahrain Medical
Association is not a member of the World Medical Association, and I personally have
never met its leaders, we wish to express our dismay about the dismantling of the
Bahrain Medical Association by your government
WMA page 2
Our sympathy is with the elected leaders of the Bahrain Medical Association, which
who have made it a successful and highly professional Association. We had hoped,
when it was still under democratic governance, that it would become a member of the
WMA.
The physicians of the world respectfully ask for your support to actively protect the
physicians in your country and to ensure their ability to best serve their patients
regardless of their believes without unfair discrimination. We likewise respectfully ask
for your support to reinstall the elected leadership of the Bahrain Medical Association
Yours faithfully
Dr Wonchat Subhachaturas,
President of the World Medical Association
Attachments
WMA Council Resolution on Bahrain
WMA Council Resolution on Independence of Medical Associations