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Insufficient Belgian education as regard of the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment for Marcel Vervloesem November 29, 2008

Imprisoned for facts that he was physically unable to do, Marcel Vervloesem was transferred in a cell, where a patient left without cleaning care, who protested by spreading his excrements everywhere. Because his diabetes expose him to serious complications in case of infection, he chose to stop all medication. It assured him an euthanasia in 10 days, had told him a doctor. Justice decided to stop this euthanasia, by authorizing a cardiac catheterization and send him back in prison the very same day. The sick prisoner was washed, so that he stops spreading his excrements everywhere.

The life of Marcel Vervloesem depended, three weeks ago, of hospital St Elisabeth of Turnhout. It currently depends on the university hospital St John of Bruges. The consequences of the ministerial refusal of health care will costs him an extra two operations in emergency, two further heart operations and henceforth a daily dialysis. Here in his words, what hides "the insufficiency of the education as regard of the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, that UNO reproaches Belgium.

Bruges, Wednesday 27.11.2008 - Brief van Marcel VO

Dear Jan and Jacqueline,

I received your letter dated 25/11/2008 with the 10 stamps, for which all my thanks.

I read that you are still very active and that the League answered your question. I also read the long letter to the lawyer, etc. Thank you for that. I can certainly have a good answer some of your comments.

Last week, Friday, I could have cardiac catheterization at the hospital St John of Bruges. They first tried surgery through the channels of the right groin, but it was not possible. It was then decided to make the operation along the left groin, which was possible. The same day, I went back by ambulance in my cell of the prison infirmary of Bruges. The result of this surgery is a decision that two surgeries will be required for my heart.

During the evening, cardiac problems have emerged and there was swelling of my left groin. The service gave me a drug against fever and a band to compress the swelling. They intensively monitored the situation during the evening and the beginning of the night. Because the fever and the swelling continued to increase, I was transported by ambulance in emergency, in the night at the emergency service of hospital St John. The Doctors of the emergency service claimed that there was internal bleeding caused by the operation of the previous day. They started doing blood tests and submitted them to other specialists. They wanted to make urgent surgery for the internal bleeding, but when the results of blood tests arrived, they discovered that the kidneys were destroyed and molecules were in a dangerous state. It was therefore decided to perform that night, a kidney surgery because of the greater emergency. And as a temporary solution, they have made compressed with bands the haemorrhage, which was very bad. Early in the morning I had an assortment of pipes implanted in my neck. At 8 o'clock, the emergency allowed me to be the first to have kidney dialysis that lasted 4 hours and half hours, so until the afternoon.

Then there were further analysis of the blood and the bleeding with medical equipment. The bleeding did not allow me to move, but remain motionless. The fever would still not leave me, and has even increased in the meantime. The surgeons have therefore decided that I would be operated again the next day in the morning, back in the emergency operation, this time to stem the bleeding. The operation was performed under general anaesthesia and lasted until late Sunday afternoon. So I did not wake-up before that Sunday afternoon. Given my condition, surgeons and specialists have determined that the pipes were to remain implanted in my neck and I was on Monday morning to undergo a new kidney dialysis and medical analysis of the bleeding. Given these medical emergencies all the doctors together decided that the two heart operations should wait. Monday afternoon, I was back in my prison cell.

Tuesday, I just had the visit of the Riksen which have been fully informed. The visit to the hospital was not possible because I had three visits this week and the different operations. I had for that, been taken at night, unexpectedly. Even my phone can not be put in order, and I would not have been able to call. I was in bed almost dead. According to the regulation, the supervisor must inform my daughter Wendy, but for some reason this has not been done. So about this, we must admit a sandwich situation.

Now it is 6.30, Wednesday, I will be back at the hospital St John , and until the afternoon in machines. This is not fun. I sometimes still have fever. The question now is how this will evolve. It is not possible to answer the question in your letter on when the interventions will heart be done, because of my medical situation. I do not always feel good and I still have great pain, walking is very difficult and sometimes I have trouble breathing. Here, doctors come regularly and I can happily say that the infirmary did something that night. Otherwise, I would have bled to death from the inside. They now help me well and follow my situation.

It is the first news that I write this week. The two weeks were terrible! Now I do not know how long I will need dialysis, and in general what the future holds for me. I must now sleep on one side, because otherwise I have a lot of respiratory distress because of my heart and long dry coughs. Anyway, we'll see. I have today for the second time; spoke for psycho-social service. Ingrid and Eric are coming to see me Tuesday, and Friday, I'm again gone for nearly 4 hours of hell in the machine. It is a special life that I would not wish to anyone. My personal belongings still have not yet arrived from prison of Turnhout. I now have several questions. All this is totally abnormal. I can see that.

So, dear Jan and Jacqueline, I will write again, with great love and great hug to Jacqueline.

With all my heart, and thank you again for the stamps.
Marcel