"Patient: S. Milosevic."
Immediately after the death of Milosevic, the wildest rumours started to abound: he'd been poisoned, he'd committed suicide but the truth turned out to be simpler. Serbia's former president and war-mongerer died from ordinary cardiac arrest.
This came as no surprise to his doctors. Their patient, we read, had a 'high-risk profile' and the chances of him dying this way were high. So was his death therefore inevitable?
Milosevic was tried and treated in the Hague, the self-pronounced judicial capital of the world. How well did the Netherlands look after their most notorious defendant? We don't know what specialists themselves at the Hague Bronovo Hospital think about this. They refuse to talk for fear of breaching patient confidentiality.
The file sheds light on many of their secrets: like the criticism by foreign colleagues at the end of 2005. The file also shows that Milosevic was not the easiest of patients. He didn't take all the medication he was prescribed, nor was all the medication he took prescribed. The Tribunal gave him every opportunity to do as he pleased, much to the dismay of the prison governor, as is stated in the memos.
Milosevic wanted his medical file to be made public. His defence wrote: "The specific wishes of the Deceased, Mr Slobodan Milosevic and his son are that the history of Mr Milosevic's medical condition and his treatment as reflected in the Annexes is released into the public domain in order to ensure that there is a comprehensive and open understanding of the events that transpired before his death."
The only investigation into Milosevic's treatment to date was carried out by the Tribunal itself. (www.un.org/icty). Furthermore, its conclusion was made by the medical specialists involved in the Milosevic's treatment. Milosevic's next of kin announced earlier that they were considering taking legal steps against the Tribunal and the doctors who treated Milosevic. We will then find out if the Netherlands, as judicial capital, took the appropriate action. By reading the file you will already be able to form your own opinion.