The Ministry of Health is bringing a court case against Mona Mina, the secretary-general of the Doctors Syndicate for spreading false claims on behalf of the ministry. Mina had urged President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi to put an end to the lack of medical supplies at hospitals after hearing that doctors were instructed to use syringes twice. Last week, in a phone-in to the Manchette TV talk show on the privately owned satellite channel Al-Aasema (The Capital), Mina said medical staff at a government hospital had received orders to reuse syringes on patients due to shortages in medical supplies. “I received a text message from a young doctor. It was basically a cry for help,” Mina told the TV host. “He said doctors had received orders to use half the medical supplies they require... including syringes and kidney dialysis machinery… because there is a chronic shortage in supplies.” Mina added, “a patient who may need two sacks of saline solution will get only one… and each syringe will be reused for the same patient.” While Mina said she was horrified by the situation, she seemed to excuse the malpractice because of the scarcity of supplies. “These practices are of course against health and safety regulations… but when hospitals only have half the amount of medical supplies they need… what can they do? None of us can make equipment. They simply use what they have,” she said. Mina said the largest hospital in Upper Egypt was turning away patients due to the lack of equipment and medical supplies. “We received verified news a week ago from Assiut University Hospital confirming that outpatient clinics had been closed down to save on medical supplies for emergencies,” said Mina. Assistant Health Minister Ahmed Mohi Al-Qased said he charged the Legal Affairs Department at the Health Ministry to start legal procedures against Mina over the “syringes statement” which he described as “lies and unreasonable”. Al-Qased called on Mina to deliver any evidence to the prosecutor-general's office that proves the authenticity of her claims “rather than spreading rumours which could easily confuse patients, thus making them lose trust in the Health Ministry”. Al-Qased added that the ministry has a stockpile of medical supplies to ensure that hospital demands are met for the next two years. He said the ministry had a plan to set up a factory for self-destructing syringes, and asked how could government hospitals demand the reuse of syringes. Egypt has been struggling to boost its economy amid political turmoil following the January 2011 uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak. The country is facing a currency crisis that has left millions of people struggling to afford basic items, including food and medical supplies. The pound had fallen to record lows on the black market and the Central Bank floated the currency on 3 November in an effort to attract foreign investment. Egypt has been trying to attract investment and restore growth by rolling out an austerity programme, including subsidy cuts on key goods, in the hope of meeting the IMF's conditions for delivering a $12 billion loan which was approved on Saturday. The country's foreign currency reserves stood at $19.6 billion in September, an increase from previous years but less than 50 per cent of the same level in early 2011.
