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Doctors Treat Detainees With Same Respect, Concern As Other Patients
Friday, July 19, 2002
By Rudi Williams
American Forces Press Service

Navy Dr. (Lt.) Sandra A. Schaffranek said she, other doctors and medical care professionals treat detainees at Camp Delta on Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with the same respect in medical care that they would patients back in the U.S.
Image Credit: Rudi Williams -- AFIS.

"If there is no medical emergency, we do like we do for our active duty folk ... (administer) over-the-counter medication to help alleviate the problem," Schaffranek said. "If the corpsman thinks it's something that needs ... a higher level of care, we'll bring the detainee to our clinic for an evaluation."

WASHINGTON -- AFIS
Navy Dr. (Lt.) Sandra A. Schaffranek had a bit of the jitters when she arrived at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, about three months ago to treat detainees at Camp Delta. It didn't take long for the nervousness to subside.

Even though some of the detainees have threatened to kill Americans, she's now at ease when treating the potentially dangerous patients.

"The military police staff has been phenomenal as far as providing safety and security for us," she said. "We've been assured that safety and security comes first. So if there is ever a question in our minds, most of us will step back and readdress the issue before proceeding with the initiation of medical treatment."

Schaffranek is one of the physicians who provide medical care for the captured enemy combatants from 39 different countries. About 80 nurses, medical corpsmen and other medical service support staff help with the history-making tasks. The initial advanced medical party numbered more than 100 personnel.

The potential danger posed by the patients doesn't change the way doctors and other medical professionals treat them, she pointed out.

"We all took the Hippocratic oath," the doctor said. "I treat them with the same respect in medical care that I would any of my patients back in the states." The only difference is security and safety primarily come before medical care, she said.
(More: DoD News Source)
2002 © The United States Department of Defense.

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