CAIRO: Hussein Ibrahim's mother was in a very critical condition as he frantically searched for a vacant bed in the intensive care unit (ICU), where they could attend to her condition. He arrived with his unconscious mother at a Maadi hospital, where all ICU beds were also occupied. Luckily, the hospital staff were helpful enough to contact neighboring hospitals in search of an available bed. En route to any hospital, patients in need of immediate care not only have to worry about overcoming the Cairo traffic, but also have to bear in mind the possibility of finding all ICU beds occupied, therefore sending them on a wild goose chase in search of vacant beds. Experts say that while the number of patients in need of intensive care is on the rise, the facilities to accommodate them remain unchanged. The departments that attend to people suffering from heart and brain conditions face difficulties in coping with the large number of cases that come in everyday. However, expanding or establishing new ICUs is unlikely on account of the high cost of equipment used. "One ventilator costs more than LE 250,000 and any ICU requires at least two of those apparatuses, said Mahmoud Abdel Maguid, a medical equipment dealer. A manager at Misr International Hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the crisis relating to ICUs is a reality and all people concerned should learn how to deal with it. "It's impossible for the hospital to remove one patient to make room for another, he said. "Unless we have a free bed we can never admit the patient, however serious his case. I know it is a difficult situation but what is one to do? You can't save someone's life and endanger the life of another. Some hospitals explained that should they receive emergency cases and all beds are occupied, they might check if one of the patients is showing improvement, in which case the priority would be given to the patient with the more critical condition. They added, however, that this rarely happens. Doctors advised that people should keep a list of different hospitals at hand, to use it in case of emergency. "After what happened to my mother last week I would recommend this [list] option, said Ibrahim. "Money won't always help when all the beds are taken. I also suggest that a hotline be set up soon in cooperation with all hospitals in an attempt to address the shortage. I am considering sending a letter to the ministry of health to that effect, he added.
