THE medical treatment is far from first-class, and Mr Bryant has first-hand experience after suffering stomach problems, and having undergone dental work since he was imprisoned in 1994.o

Speaking about treatments he had been given for his stomach condition, he told the Guardian: "I came off the heavy medicine, they were giving me strong medicine it was just no good for me at all, it didn't seem to make me any better.

"I take a light medicine all the time now things like bicarbonate of soda or Rennies.

"I went to the hospital twice and they've told me I don't have ulcers or anything like that, I suffer from inflamation of the stomach.

"The medical treatment here is not very good at all for example you go to the dentist and if you have to have a tooth refilled there's no injection.

"They put the needle in your mouth and hope there's no nerve in the tooth they're drilling. I don't have many (fillings) believe me."

Mr Bryant, who is now in his third prison, added: "I had one. I went to the dentist three-and-a-half years ago. She drilled and drilled and drilled and said 'I haven't got any material'. I said 'what, you've drilled all that hole for nothing.'

"She said 'come back in two weeks'. So I went back in two weeks, she drills and drills again and then she puts a temporary filling in.

"And of course by the time she's done all the drilling she's weakened the wall of the tooth so much that the first time I chewed anything the tooth just cracked."

November 22, 2001 8:49