The question of just how ill Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is was raised with Alex Salmond by the BBC’s Eddie Mair on this afternoon’s PM programme. The issue is of considerable importance, since Scottish Prison Service guidelines provide that prisoners should be released on compassionate grounds only if they are likely to have less than three months to live.
Mair put it to Salmond that none of the prostate cancer specialists consulted by Dr Andrew Fraser of the Prison Service would specify a likely time period for the remainder of al-Megrahi’s life. Salmond was, frankly, somewhat evasive in his response, but did acknowledge that there had been some disagreement among specialists as to his life expectancy: “Some said less than three months, some said more than three months.”
Dr Richard Simpson, a Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament who specialised in prostate disease research, said last Tuesday that the medical reports disclosed by the Scottish justice ministry suggest that there is “significant doubt” that al-Megrahi will die within three months. Simpson, indeed, takes the view that he could live far longer, and says that Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish justice minister, should have taken a second opinion from an expert in palliative care.
Simpson’s prognosis appears to be shared by no less than al-Megrahi’s own father, Ali, who has given an interview today to the pan-Arabic newspaper, Asharq Al-Awsat:
Ali al-Megrahi also revealed that the disease which his son is suffering from is not as dangerous as some in the media are portraying it, saying “he was diagnosed with cancer less than a year ago, and we would bring him medicinal herbs from the Chinese herb market in Britain, he was also treated with other medicine in prison in Scotland.” Al-Megrahi senior added “a relative was diagnosed with a similar disease [prostate cancer] and he was treated and recovered completely. We hope that Abdul-Basset recovers his health as well.”
He said “I see that he is getting better day after day, and [his health] is much better than the first day that he returned to his homeland.”
It is so serious an issue but appears to have been handled in such a poor way that when viewed in retrospect, it appears to be a farce. Perhaps it was arranged to be part of the Edinburgh Fringe.
I suppose we could always send him an appointment to be checked in a National Health Hospital and grab him when he returns.