CAIRO: Egyptian Health Minister Ashraf Hatem praised the doctors' strike on May 10 in a statement issued on Tuesday, describing the strike as “civilized,” and stressing that it has succeeded and did not affect the delivery of health services to patients, which indicates the extent of “professional responsibility among doctors.” For his part, Abd el-Hamid Abaza, assistant health minister for technical and political affairs, hailed the spirit in his fellow doctors, as the strike didn't affect the medical service they provide. Abaza pointed out that the ministry has prepared a central operations room to follow-up the events of the strike around the clock, denying the existence of any threats from officials at the ministry to the doctors in the case of strike. On the other hand, the Head of Nurses denied participation of the nurses in the strike, noting that he had met with the minister and those responsible for the nursing department in the ministry to display their demands which have been accepted and is being implemented. The Supreme Committee to oversee the strike of doctors responded to the statement of the minister, saying that it reflects the overwhelming success of the strike, which has started, from al-Salloum to al-Arish and from Alexandria to Aswan. Mohammed Shafiq, a member of the Supreme Committee said that “the success rate of the strike reached more than 85 percent, with the absence of any one complaint in all Egypt,” noting that patients understood the importance of the partial doctors' strike as it did not include the reception, emergency rooms, intensive care and urgent operations. Commenting on the statements of Hamdy el-Saied, Head of the Doctors' Syndicate, Shafiq told al-Sharouk newspaper, “The changes that have occurred in the country made him lose the proper link of attention, especially with being a symbol of the disbanded National Democratic Party. “According to the General Assembly's resolution, el-Said does not represent anyone but himself, because his presidency has been frozen so he only controls himself,” he continued. Among the opponents of the right of doctors to strike is Saad al-Fityani, Chairman of the Ethics Committee in the Doctors' Syndicate. An altercation broke out between Mona Mina, the coordinator of the group Doctors without Rights, and al-Fityani as she objected that he repeated some of the resolutions of al-Said. Mina said on “al-Hayah al-Youm” talk-show that el-Said does not represent the doctors on a decision of the members of the Assembly, “where he was putting the Assembly's resolutions and conventions aside and speaks only on his personal opinion,” she said. Thousands of doctors in different governorates, Tuesday, entered a strike called for by the extraordinary General Assembly of the Doctors' Syndicate to pressure the government to respond to their demands, including the removal of Hatem, raising the budget of the ministry to provide better health care for patients, securing hospitals from the attacks of thugs, raising the minimum wage of doctors, and improving their living conditions. For its part, the director of outpatient clinic tried to convince the doctors to return to work for the interest of patients, but doctors insisted on continuing their strike. “The percentage of participants in the strike in Cairo reached 70percent and it is enough that the patients have shown solidarity with us. The strike was only in outpatient clinics, except for reception and emergency rooms,” said Ahmed Hussein, one of the members of the committee supervising the strike at al-Abbasya hospital, adding that no patient was harmed from the strike. “Some leaders of the Health Ministry attempted to thwart the strike by sending old faxes that show the Ministry's responsiveness to the demands of the doctors, while some provincial hospitals witnessed a breakthrough by the military police calling for doctors to cut off tickets to patients by force,” added Hussein in his statement. In the same context, Rami Fouad, a member of the Supervisory Committee on the doctors in the Syndicate's operations room said “the strike is over 30 percent in response to el-Said who confirmed that the strike will not be up to 30 percent.” Fouad indicated that more than 30 hospitals in Cairo participated in the strike, as the number of the participating hospitals in the state reached more than 74, pointing out that some doctors did not carry out the decision to strike, “they will be placed on lists of shame,” he said. BM
