MEDICAL equipment worth tens of thousands of dinars have been left to rot at a private hospital that was shut down in Bahrain, it has emerged.
Incidents of theft have also become a routine occurrence at the International Hospital Bahrain (IHB), which stopped operating in June 2018 following years of being at the centre of a massive pay row that started in 2014.
Informed sources told the GDN that in a recent incident unidentified men walked into the hospital compound located off Budaiya Highway and took air-conditioning units and electrical cables, while in the past other items such as chillers and lockers have gone missing.
The National Health Regulatory Authority said in June 2018 that the hospital would be shut down until it met all the necessary requirements.
The sources confirmed to the GDN that the medical facility’s licence has since been revoked, but its commercial registration (CR) remained valid.
“There are many pieces of equipment including an MRI machine, dialysis machine, a number of computers, dental and cardiology machines inside the hospital, which need periodic checking,” said the sources.
“All of these have been damaged and cannot be used as they are not maintained.
“These machines are worth thousands of dinars – the MRI machine alone costs over BD30,000 and with the rest of the machines of a similar value it will definitely add up to a million dinars.
“If these machines had been sold, that money would have been enough to settle the pending wages of staff.
“Carpets inside the hospital are also termite-ridden and the entire building is slowly deteriorating.”
The private hospital that opened in 1978 faced financial difficulties following the 2011 unrest and is yet to settle pending salaries of its employees including doctors, nurses and technicians.
In August last year the GDN reported that at least 50 former IHB employees were not paid their dues despite court judgements in their favour, while nearly 100 employees were still officially on the payroll of the hospital.
“The hospital is such a desolate place now,” added the sources.
“Regular thefts happen and people break in through the barbed wires and steal items like air-conditioners, cables and other electrical and non-electrical items.
“Last week some men took away cables that were lying in a storeroom behind the hospital.
“Some men even stole lockers and some items from the pharmacy, we don’t know who they are but definitely they are aware that there is no one to question them.
“There are no CCTV cameras and these people know no one will complain about this.”
The GDN reported in July last year that more than half of IHB staff were no longer on valid visas as their visas were never renewed, meaning they risk violating immigration laws.
Hope
“Around 150 of the expat staff are still in the country hoping to get their pay, while a number of them left the country,” said the sources.
“Among those who are here, some are working in other facilities but a good number of them have become illegal as they can’t look for other jobs nor can they go home.
“There are also Bahrainis, some who are still without jobs and some lucky ones who managed to get a placement elsewhere.”
“Some of the lawyers said the assets were not in the name of the hospital and belonged to another company, hence, there is nothing much that could be done regarding the payments.”
Officials from the IHB could not be reached for comment as the GDN learned the owner has left the country.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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