The Abu Ghraib Scandal You Don't Know-Medical Care

By Adam Zagorin, Feb. 7, 2005

I remember hearing the Abu Ghraib story when it gained media attention in 2004. I was in high school and didn't pay much attention to it, so when we began watching "Standing Operating Procedure" I did not know the specifics of the situation. After watching part of the documentary on Wednesday, I searched online for more information on the scandal. Most of what I found was focused on the military personnel's torturous actions and the pictures depicting them. However, I found this time article which focused on another aspect of the prison.

Zagorin states that another story lies within the prison walls. The medical doctors' care of the prisoners was a story in itself. The medical care was another kind of torture. He says that in addition to the torture abuse, "There was also medical disarray at the prison: amputations performed by nondoctors, chest tubes recycled from the dead to the living, a medic ordered, by one account, to cover up a homicide. That in itself would have made Abu Ghraib a scandal even without the acts of torture inflicted on the inmates by their guards."

Although over 7,000 prisoners in 2003, there was no doctor at Abu Ghraib for most of 2003. He includes many statistics and examples which are worth reading including the statement that roughly 5% of the prisoners suffered from mental illness and received no medical assistance.

Although the poor medical care is not the focal point of "Standing Operating Procedure," I thought it was worth noting as another insight into Abu Ghraib. One of the most fascinating parts of the article was a quote by Dr. David Auch, the commander of the reserve company supporting medical operations at Abu Ghraib in 2003. In regard to some of the actions taken by medical personnel in Abu Ghraib, Auch states, "The priority is to safeguard the prisoner."
Maybe it's just me but something does not seem right with that statement.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1025139-1,00.html