Jamil Al Maliki, who was wounded during the last fighting in Libya stated: «I’ve entered Tunisia in a critical state due to my wounds. At the airport, a cop interrogated me and questioned me on my political acquaintances. When I just said I am from Fejr Libya (Libya’s Dawn), he humiliated me and called me a terrorist. I could not refrain myself and reacted strongly; I got myself arrested during 9 days ».
According to the General Secretary of the Tunisian Union of Private sector doctors, Dr Fawzi Ben Qurra, «One does not treat Libyan patients differently according to their political inclination ». He said: «in 2011, treating the wounded was spontaneous, even a sign of solidarity to the revolution and its victims. This state of affairs has changed in 2014 and most wounded now prefer to be treated in private clinics ». And that according to Ben Qurra, even though «generally, Libyans are late in paying the costs of their treatment ».
Dr Ben Qurra denies doctors are dealing differently with the Libyan wounded according to their political inclination. «The Tunisian doctors are not biased nor taking sides» he said «as most of them do not know what is going on in Libya ». Ben Qurra admits that «there may be some discrimination but these would be in rare cases».
He called on Libya to finally «coordinate with direct representative of the private health sector in Tunisia as well as with the Tunisian Union of Private sector doctors».
Libyan journalist Adel Aziz Issa thinks to the contrary that «Tunisian authorities are taking side very clearly, even on the humanitarian front ». According to him «Tunisian authorities are selectively interrogating some of the wounded victims but they welcome, settle and take care of others with no questions asked, specifically the wounded coming from the Al Karama side (dignity) ».
Would political affiliation of war victims in 2011 and 2014 explain the wounded are treated differently? Furthermore, is this affecting medical ethics ?
Dr. Fawzi Charafi said that «during the liberation war in Libya, Tunisian doctors received with open arms the wounded victims of the war. We even brought them to Tunis ourselves. Myself, I left and drove to Benghazi to evacuate the wounded to Tunis where they received the required treatment. Our support to the Libyan revolution and its victims was such that we never asked anything then to care for many wounded ».
Dr Charaf admits that «certain private clinics, in the name of security, do question the wounded as to their affiliation ». He recalls an incident which happened at the Tawfigh clinic, with two war wounded Libyans: one belonged to Fajr Libya (Libya’s dawn) movement, the other to Al Karama (Dignity). The fight could have been avoided, according to him, had the wounded be kept apart from each other. Hence «there is a duty to be informed, to ask questions in order to be able to prevent this kind of assault within Tunisian hospitals ».
Dr Charaf does not deny that «in several clinics and hospitals the wounded are questioned about their support to this or that Libyan armed group. This does not go with the professionalism and ethics». In principle, he says, «the patient remains a patient, whatever his affiliation: this is what ethics demands. And if web ring help to war victims, this does not mean that we support their groups. » he stated. Dr Charaf then deals with question many Tunisians raise: «why do you treat terrorists wounded in war? ». According to him, the Tunisian people have the right to be reassured about these questions. «We need to do that, at least to spare Tunisia to fall into the same download spiral».
The lack of operational hospitals in Libya and their potential failings are the first cause of suffering for Libyan wounded.
