The PILA Bulletin has previously covered the concerns over RCSI-Bahrain’s accreditation in June 2013, and we featured a Ceartas guest article on the topic this April.
Leading Bahrain human rights organisations have spoken out ahead of a visit by the Irish Medical Council (IMC) to consider the accreditation of Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI)-Bahrain. The organisations have made a joint submission to the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection, urging them to put human rights at the centre of the upcoming site-visit and assessment.
The IMC will have access to facilities that would normally be off-limits to human rights organisations, putting the Council in a unique position to carefully monitor Bahrain’s compliance with human rights obligations. According to Ceartas, violations range from torture to systematic discrimination against patients and doctors. The NGOs’ submission highlights many concerns over the medical facilities including the militarisation of the hospital administration and a drop in the overall standard of health services and quality of medical education. Medical impartiality has been undermined because treating protesters and dissidents risk punishment to medical professionals. The letter affirms that as a public body, the IMC is subject to all of Ireland’s international human rights obligations in the performance of their functions, including accreditation of foreign institutions. The organisations urge the IMC to incorporate human rights considerations into their assessment process.
The organisations state, “We believe that a robust accreditation, with a human rights focus, would provide a strong platform for reform and would strengthen Ireland's reputation as a transnational educator.”
Click here to read the joint submission from Bahrain human rights organisations.
Click here to read a blog post from Ceartas about the issue.