Two board members of the Doctors' Syndicate attempted to visit hunger striking detainee Mohamed Soltan on Sunday, according to a statement by the doctors. Amr El Shora and Mohamed Shafiq volunteered to visit Soltan to check on his health condition. Their initiative came in response to reports that were made to the Doctors' Syndicate regarding his deteriorating health by members of his family along with a number of rights activists. El Shora and Shafiq said in the statement that they have seen Soltan briefly and then were asked to leave by his guarding officer. Although they had their identification cards checked, Soltan's guard and his observing doctor refused to allow them to examine him without a permit from either the Prosecutor General or the Prisons Authority. The statement added that Soltan was awake and alert when they briefly saw him. The pair from the Doctor's Syndicate cited the reports from his observing doctor that mentioned that Soltan is suffering from a range of health problems. These include "very low" blood glucose level, stable kidney functions, and high acetone level in his urine which is a sign that his body is breaking down protein and muscles for energy. Soltan's doctor also mentioned that he had refused to take a glucose solution, instead only taking Ringer's solution, an intravenous saline solution. Soltan has been on hunger strike for more than 140 days, raising concerns amongst rights activists anxious about his health condition. He was transported to Qasr Al-Eini hospital last week. He was arrested from his residence in April 2013 following the military backed ousting of former-president Mohamed Morsi. According to his family, security forces were initially looking for his father Salah Soltan, a prominent leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.
