CAIRO: The Nasser Medical Institute found itself under fire after a 40-year-old patient accused the doctors of making a "huge mistake while operating on her heart last June, claiming it had drastic effects on her health. Sabah Ahmed Aly was admitted to the institute last April where she had a cardiac catheterization which detected problems with her arteries. Consequently, she underwent open heart surgery the following June. A few months later Aly went under the knife again after complaints from an infection in the wound where the surgery was conducted. Concerned about her condition, Aly refused to be discharged from the institute. "She did not want to leave after the operation and called the security officials several times, Dr Bahaa Al-Din Abou Zeid, chairman of the Nasser Medical Institute told Daily News Egypt. He added that her condition was "perfect and that keeping Aly in the institute would mean taking the place of another patient who might be in more urgent need of hospital care. Aly then launched an aggressive media campaign against the institute, telling her story to several newspapers. According to Abu Zeid, Aly did not pay "a piaster of her surgery's cost, which amounts to LE 20,000, adding that the institute treats about 80 percent of its patients for free. Aly accused the institute of discharging her too early after her first surgery - she had spent one week under the institute's care. "One week is the standard period an open heart surgery patient is required to stay in the hospital, unless he or she faces complications, which was not the case with Aly, Abou Zeid said. "Aly was in a perfect shape after the operation and all the medical tests and documents prove that she is in very good condition, Abu Zeid said. He argues that Aly has been going to the Ministry of Health and speaking to the press, and if she were really suffering from heart problems, she would not have been able to exert that kind of effort. Aly accused the doctor who operated on her, and Abou Zeid of "forging all the documents to prove their point of view and told Daily News Egypt that she is planning to send a fax to the president's office with her complaint. Abou Zeid told Daily News Egypt that Aly is overly concerned with her health. He added that ever since Aly had the surgery, she has complained of deteriorating health, saying "there is something wrong with her heart and that she needs to have another surgery. "As for the wound or any other health problem she faced after the operation, it was due to negligence on her part and following the wrong diet, Abou Zeid said, adding that the patient is also diabetic. Dr Hossam Al-Shahawy performed the open heart surgery on Aly. He told Daily News Egypt that the infection was caused due to problems with the patient's hygiene and that she did not stick to the diet doctors prescribed. "Dr Al-Shahawy is one of the best doctors in the institute, said Abou Zeid.According to Abu Zeid, the Nasser Medical Institute has 23 operating rooms where around 2,000 major surgeries are conducted every month. He added that around 40,000 patients are treated in the institute every year. The institute has conducted 19,000 open heart surgeries, with a success rate of 97.5 percent, he added. The Ministry of Health will allow Aly to undergo another cardiac catheter this coming April to check for any problems with her heart. If Aly needs another heart surgery, Dr Abou Zeid promised to welcome her back in the hospital.
