As Grote points out, under the DOC's supposed treatment protocol, only 1% of infected inmates -- fewer than 50 statewide -- have been receiving the anti-viral medication that is considered by the Center for Disease Control to be the appropriate standard of care for active Hepatitis C infections. "It's really a non-treatment protocol," he explains, saying that "limiting the medication to only those who not only have evidence of cirrhosis of the liver, but also esophageal varices, which are swollen esophageal veins prone to rupturing and causing almost immediate death in victims is really a Nazi prison camp level of care."
Typically the only treatment provided by the DOC to Hep-C infected inmates has been an old regimen involving interferon, which has a very low success rate and which involves very serious complications in most patients. In contrast, each of several new anti-viral drugs for treating Hepatitis C, while costly, boast an effective cure rate of higher than 90%.
It's not clear how far the DOC will be willing to pursue an appeal of this case. There are certainly plenty of people in the law-enforcement, justice and penal systems who would be happy to see Abu-Jamal (who was frequently was the target of unseemly calls to "Fry Mumia!" at demonstrations in Philadelphia by white off-duty cops in the Fraternal Order of Police over the years) get "executed" by medical neglect in prison. But having said that, letting the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction in southern Pennsylvania, Delaware and southern New Jersey, weigh in on this case risks having a three-judge panel uphold Judge Mariani. And that would then mean his decision would suddenly apply not just potentially to prisoners incarcerated within his jurisdiction in northeastern Pennsylvania, but to all inmates in prison in that whole tri-state appellate court jurisdiction who suffer from similar active Hepatitis C infections -- perhaps saddling those three state prison systems with as more than $1 billion in treatment costs (unless the states managed to negotiate reduced-cost anti-viral medication from the drug industry).
Clearly, whatever happens next, this has been a big victory for jailhouse journalist Abu-Jamal, his legal team and his supporters.
DAVE LINDORFF, author of the book "Killing Time: An Investigation into the Death Row Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal" (Common Courage, 2003), is a member of ThisCantBeHappening!. His work, and that of colleagues JOHN GRANT, JESS GUH, GARY LINDORFF, ALFREDO LOPEZ, LINN WASHINGTON, JR. and the late CHARLES M. YOUNG, can be found at www.thiscantbehappening.net
(Article changed on January 6, 2017 at 01:15)
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