Campaign urges Egyptians to help draft healthcare bill

The Patient’s Bill of Rights campaign issued a statement on Monday pushing for community involvement in drafting a bill of rights for medical patients in Egypt.

The movement was developed to fight against the absence of a legal unified bill that outlines the rights of patients, who are confronted by a deteriorating healthcare system, frequent medical malpractice and continuous violations of basic rights, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).

“We cannot find what binds the state and service providers in the private and public sector with these rights, which makes it difficult for the victims [of malpractice] to receive the appropriate compensation,” the statement read.

The only legal framework currently on the books to protect patients is the Doctors Syndicate code of ethics, said Ayman Sabea, a researcher on healthcare rights with EIPR.

However, most doctors are not aware of this code, and its content is out of touch with reality, according to Sabea.

The Ministry of Health also has bylaws posted in hospitals that list five points pertaining to patient rights, such as the right to privacy and access to information, as well as another set of bylaws stipulating patients’ duties, Sabea added.

But “neither the doctors nor the patients know or use it. Those bylaws are not put into effect,” he asserted.

In the absence of a specific law, it is difficult to take action against violations that occur in healthcare facilities. The people need this legislation, and they need to be aware of it so they can ask for their rights while receiving services, Sabea argued.

The campaign wants the bill to be drafted by community members, who would outline the main rights that health service providers should guarantee and that the state should uphold.

The first phase of the campaign was launched in December 2013 by EIPR, the Manifesto of the People initiative, the Egyptian Medical Students Association, the Freedom Egypt Party and the CanSurvive organization.

Volunteers polled over 300 groups and held focus groups across the country, while enlisting the help of a number of healthcare organizations and initiatives to promote the idea.

The collected data was used to develop 30 suggestions reflecting the average citizen's needs, which then formed the basis for the second phase of the campaign.

This second phase hopes to enlist the community in drafting the final bill by using simple quantitative methods.

Those interested in participating can log on to egyptianpatient.org, where they will answer a set of 30 questions on healthcare services. Users will rate the service as either “important,” “very important” or “necessary.”

After the draft is complete, Sabae said the campaign would then either collect signatures to push for state recognition of the bill, or propose the draft directly to the Cabinet.

“The more people participate, the more legitimacy they will give it,” he said.

Healthcare organizations and associations are encouraged to participate in the campaign in order to involve the highest number of participants in drafting the bill.

Egypt has long suffered from an ailing healthcare system, and to date hospitals remain poorly monitored, under-resourced and operated by poorly trained staff and doctors.  

Since the 2011 uprising, many doctors have engaged in protests and partial strikes demanding better wages and an increase in the state budget for healthcare from 5 percent to 15 percent.