Bahrain was rocked by violence for two months after protesters, inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, took to the streets in February. At least 13 protesters and four policemen have been killed. Bahrain's government has arrested activists, including bloggers, and called in troops from Gulf Cooperation Council neighbors to help quell the protests.
"Wounds, especially those inflicted by distinctive police and military gunfire, are used to identify people for arrest, and the denial of medical care is being used by authorities to deter people from protesting," Latifa Ayada, medical coordinator of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), said in a statement.
"Health facilities are used as bait to identify and arrest those who dare seek treatment," she said in a statement. Hospitals in Bahrain "no longer serve the medical needs of the whole population", the statement said.
Salmaniya, the only public referral hospital in Bahrain, was almost empty when MSF visited it. Security forces occupied the hospital, the country's largest, on March 16.
"Injured people admitted to Salmaniya have told MSF how members of the military beat them, including on their wounds," the statement said.
"Other patients have been arrested within health facilities upon discovery that their injuries are related to the protests. The risks of going to hospitals or health centers mean that patients often do not attempt to seek treatment."
Government officials say the hospital has been overrun by political activities directed against the government. It has said that access had been blocked for only one hour and that at no point had Bahrain's Army entered the hospital.
"The action by the military to declare the hospital a legitimate military target, and the use of the health system as a tool by the security apparatus, completely ignores and undermines the fact that all patients have a right to treatment in a safe environment," said Christopher Stokes, MSF general director.
The MSF statement coincided with the remarks of a senior soccer official who said four Bahraini national team players have been suspended for supporting anti-government protests.
The official said the players have been suspended by their clubs because "they are against the government." The club suspension automatically disqualifies them from the national team. The official was speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.
Leading Bahraini human rights activist Mohammed Al-Maskati said three of the suspended players have been in police custody since Tuesday.