CAIRO: The Egyptian doctors' strike started today, May 10, in governmental clinics and hospitals, calling for the improvement of the medical care system in Egypt, despite the refusal of the head of the Doctors' Syndicate. Initial reports showed that around 90 percent of doctors in Egyptian governorates started the strike and 60 percent in Cairo accompanied by dentists and nurses, in addition to a number of patients who chanted “Doctors and patients are one hand.” The Supreme Committee overseeing the doctors' strike submitted on May 9 a request to the board of the Doctors' Syndicate in order to bring Ashraf Hatem, Health Minister to an investigation. The request came after claims that Hatem threatened the doctors in hospitals to prevent them from carrying out the strike on Tuesday, issued by a decision of the extraordinary General Assembly of the Doctors' Syndicate on May 1. The committee based its request on Article 51 of Law No. 45 of 1969 on the Syndicate's Law, which reads “each member abstained from the implementation of the resolutions of the General Assembly would be tried before the disciplinary body.” At its extraordinary general assembly on May 1, the syndicate decided to enter a strike on Tuesday until all their demands are met. After many disputes and quarrels between the syndicate's board and its members, it was decided that they would enhance the open strike on May 17 if their demands were not met, although leading Essam al-Erian syndicate's board member did warn the attendance from the consequences of this action. the head of the syndicate, Hamdy el-Said, is against the decision to strike, saying “I am not satisfied with the decision to strike, because it is a hasty decision.” El-Said appealed to doctors, physicians and syndicate members to commit to the rule of ethics and the pledge of doctors not to harm or neglect the treatment of any patient. More, el-Said stated that the strike's committee does not represent the syndicate and does not have the right to refer anyone to investigation, stressing that the one who deserves the accountability is the one who opposes the “traditions and ethics of the profession and refuses to receive or treat any patient.” In their extraordinary general assembly meeting, the members of the syndicate stressed that both strikes will not include emergency rooms, receptions, critical and urgent operations. The doctors will go to their workplace, sign in for attendance and strike in front of the hospitals holding signs of their demands and convincing patients that the doctors' strike is also in their favor. The doctors' demands were briefed in four main points, including the resignation of the health minister, securing hospitals from the attacks of thugs, a fair system of wages and raising the general budget of health care in the country. Continuing his opposing opinion to the resolutions of the assembly, el-Said announced that the published position of the syndicate towards the health minister under the pretext that he is from the remnants of the former regime, “is untrue.” The head of the syndicate declared that it fully appreciates the minister and that “he is a distinguished professor in his specialty and has an administrative experience for many years in the leadership system of university hospitals and their development.” He added that the syndicate commends his performance at the ministry thus far and wishes him “continuous success in achieving the principles of the January 25 revolution by providing health security to the citizens.” Al-Dostour newspaper, in its Friday edition, reported that Mona Mina, a coordinator of the group Doctors Without Rights announced that she had submitted an urgent complaint to the Ethics Committee against el-Said for his statement that does not approve the doctors' strike and does not approve the dismissal of the health minister and “because the syndicate has published the decision of former Prime Minister Atef Ebeid that bans the strike of doctors.” Commenting on what was published; el-Said sent a letter to the chairman of the Ethics Committee in the syndicate clarifying his position from the strike. In his letter, el-Said condemned the extraordinary General Assembly held on May 1, “regarding the general form, this Assembly in which the decisions were taken is one of the worst things in the history of this syndicate. “What happened from abuses and chaos is dishonorable to the profession, which we defended its honor, dignity and performance throughout the years. And I cite those doctors who attended the Assembly, Shawki al-Haddad, Osama Raslan, Essam al-Erian and Ahmed Imam,” he continued. El-Said stated that the syndicate has a firm position on the strike because it is incompatible with the pledge of doctors and a list of ethics. “This does not mean to stop doctors from giving their opinion and demand the reform of their conditions. We have many ways that we practiced and will still practice, including sit-ins, protests and demonstrations in front of the Ministerial Cabinet, People's Assembly, Ministry of Finance and the Doctors' Syndicate and other means. And we participated in all of them while one of those who uses loud voice to call for the strike did not participate with us in most cases,” he said. “We had meetings with officials from the Health Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Ministerial Cabinet and we received some reforms and promises to complete the rest of the reforms, material, scientific and functional. Also some colleagues met with the Prime Minister, who promised reforms to come,” el-Said added. Though compliance with the resolutions of the General Assembly is a must, it is not permissible to issue resolutions against the law and the decision to strike against the law and professional ethics and regulations, according to the head of the doctors' syndicate. “To say that emergency cases, urgent operations, and dialysis are excluded is true in theory, but who will decide that? Will the patient himself decide whether a headache, for example, is non-urgent or it might be the beginning of bleeding in the brain which may lead the patient to death, or that a transient chest pain is not the beginning of a fatal heart attack? What will the patient, who goes to the outpatient clinic, do if he finds it closed? What should he do if he is unable to go to a clinic or private hospital?” questioned el-Said. Although el-Said rejected the resolutions of the General Assembly, he claims that he agrees on all decisions concerning the interests of doctors in terms of their financial, and scientific careers, the increase in health spending and the improvement of the performance of the health sector, which is the same demands adopted by the Medical Syndicate for many years. El-Said had announced earlier that he will not run himself for the presidency of the doctors' syndicate again after doctors demonstrated against him accusing him of being one of the associates of the disbanded former ruling National Democratic Party. BM
