Doctors Syndicate Secretary General joins sit-in against preferential hiring

Mona Mina, the Secretary General of the Doctors Syndicate, joined a sit-in on Sunday at the al-Galaa Education Hospital to protest against the hospital's manager, Doctor Essam Tawfiq, refusal to accept the residency of two new doctors, Areej Mohamed Saleh el-Sayed and Donia Islam Ahmed al-Gammal.

The secretary general stated last week that many young doctors are being discriminated against by hospital managers and health ministry officials. Mina added that hospitals in some governorates redistribute the doctors, contrary to the original distribution plan approved by the ministry.

In the specific case at al-Galaa Education Hospital, the Health Ministry transferred both young doctors to the hospital but the hospital manager has refused to approve either doctor’s residency, according to a statement by the syndicate issued on earlier on Sunday. This incident triggered the Doctor’s Syndicate sit-in, which Mina joined on Sunday.

According to al-Masry al-Youm, the Doctor’s Syndicate sent several letters to the Health Ministry last week explaining what happened to the two doctors and how the hospital is mandated to hire the doctors based due to their earlier request for physicians.

Hussein Ibrahim, a physician at the hospital confirmed to the privately owned al-Masry al-Youm that Mina indeed joined the sit-in on Sunday. He also denounced the rigidity of the hospital manager and accused him of discrimination and favoritism in recruitment.

Ibrahim added that the two doctors have been coming to the hospital for the last two months waiting in vain to be assigned to their positions.