Statements from McGlinchey and Price families and Bernadette Devlin McAliskey follow:
URGENT MESSAGE FROM BERNADETTE DEVLIN MCALISKEY
The prison issued a statement this morning that Marian had been transferred to hospital. She remains in the prison.
They had attempted to move her to a psychiatric unit as a prisoner but this requiires invoking powers under the mental health act – the prison medical officer has already given evidence last week that this course of action would be counterproductive and inappropriate as she is not psychotic.
She is suffering from trauma created by her environment of incarceration.
The chief medical officer has now sought to over ride this evidence today before the UN visit on Monday – to transfer her to the psychiatric hospital without her informed consent adds another dimnesion to the violation of her rights – her family is issuing a statement and I believe her lawyers will be trying to get into court today. So maybe we are at make or break.
Urgent alert: e-mails to Ford would be good
Statement from Price and McGlinchey family – June 22nd 2012
Marian Price’s husband Jerry McGlinchey and the Price family have concerns in relation to this latest move to a secure hospital unit in Belfast.
Past moves made on medical grounds have proved detrimental and indeed exacerbated Marian’s complex medical conditions.
In recent discussions with medical consultants charged with Marian’s care it was stated that an unsuitable environment would be ‘counter-therapeutic’.
In fact a doctor representing the state gave evidence that going to a secure hospital unit would compound Marian’s acute illnesses and would mitigate against any beneficial treatment.
We welcome the intervention of the UN doctors who will visit Marian over the coming days and trust that they will make a speedy report on her condition given the urgency of the situation.
The family hope that this move to a secure unit is not a cynical ploy on the eve of a visit by UN doctors to stymie any criticism of Marian’s treatment.
We are also concerned that the media were privy to information about this move before her family were informed.
