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An injection of vitriol
Published in Al-Ahram Weekly on 06 - 12 - 2016

On 3 December, Cairo Appeals Prosecution released Mona Mina, the secretary-general of the Doctors Syndicate, but not before she paid LE10,000 in bail. The syndicate expressed solidarity with Mina after it said media coverage was distorted and had created a backlash against her, leading to an investigation by the general prosecution and a possible trial.
Khaled Ali, Mina's lawyer, told the press that although she has been released, Mina will be referred to a further investigation which could lead to a court trial, indicating that the case against her has not been closed.
In an interview over the phone by the Manchette talk show on the privately owned satellite channel Al-Assema (The Capital), Mina had been discussing a shortage in the country's medical supplies. She contended that medical staff at a government hospital had received orders to reuse syringes. "I received a text message from a young doctor. It was basically a cry for help," Mina told the TV host.
She then corroborated what she was saying in the interview. "A patient who may need two sacks of saline solution will use only one… and each syringe will be reused for the same patient."
But while Mina was horrified by the situation, she seemed to excuse the malpractices 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 the equipment. They simply use what they have," she said.
In response, the Ministry of Health denied that it gave such orders and vowed to take legal action against Mina. It condemned the statements, saying they were aimed at creating panic among patients, citing a recently completed syringe factory as proof. The ministry also claimed that hospitals brought under the supervision of the Armed Forces had a surplus in medicine and medical equipment to last two years.
Mina was accused of falsely claiming that these were general orders being applied in hospitals, and was charged with spreading false news.
Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said the ministry filed an official complaint to the prosecutor-general, saying such statements were unacceptable. "We asked Mina to give us the name of the hospital where it happened or the doctor who claimed so. She refused to reveal a name out of fear of causing harm to the doctor, choosing instead to harm all Egyptians," Megahed said.
In response to Mina's accusation, the Doctors Syndicate issued a statement condemning her treatment. "Instead of grasping the importance of the shortage in medical supplies she was discussing, or considering it a warning to officials and the public, there was an unprecedented number of insults and complaints to the prosecutor-general, accusing her of spreading false news and disturbing public order," the statement said.
The statement also described the incident as "an intended distortion of Mina and the entire syndicate". The statement concluded that it "obviously aimed to distract people from the real issues and cover up numerous crises in the healthcare system".
There has been a severe shortage in medical supplies in pharmacies across the country following the US dollar crunch and last month's floatation of the Egyptian pound.
Mina is popular for defending the rights of doctors and the public to a proper healthcare system, often criticising ineffective government policies. Her most recent legal battle has been obtaining a decent infections allowance for doctors at risk of contracting dangerous infections at work. (see Focus p.5)


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