Fourth doctor dies of pulmonary infection, doctors blame ministry

Osama Rashad, a doctor who worked in a Mansoura hospital, died on Saturday from acute pneumonia, the result of a pulmonary infection that he contracted two weeks ago on the job.

Rashad’s death, caused by the same infection that claimed three other doctors’ lives within the past month, sparked a wave of anger among doctors who blame the ministry for poor hygiene in hospitals and lack of necessary treatment facilities.

Mona Mina, general secretary of the Doctors’ Syndicate, called for a partial strike for doctors on her Facebook page on Monday.

“I hope that the level of participation will reflect our sadness and anger as doctors fall one after the other without seeing any serious or responsible actions from the ministry in response to this dangerous phenomenon,” she wrote.

A statement posted by the Doctors’ Syndicate last Tuesday warned that the phenomenon of pneumonia infections among doctors could be the start of an epidemic that may affect all those working in the medical sector, in addition to other citizens.

The syndicate had announced last week on its website that six doctors, all based in the Delta area, have been infected with severe pneumonia since December. Four of them have died while two are receiving treatment.

Following the first death of Ahmed Abdel Latif, a doctor based in Banha, Daqahlia, the syndicate held the ministry accountable, blaming it for failing to provide him with the necessary treatment.

Two more doctors, Doa Ismail in Daqahlia and Yasser al-Barbary in Qalyubiya, have also died of a similar infection since.

The incident raised the issue of the treatment allowance mandated for doctors, which only amounts to LE19, not allowing them to seek treatment in private hospitals despite the high risk of infection that they face during their work.

Amr al-Shora, board member of the Doctors’ Syndicate, also blamed the government following the death of Rashad, stating in a Facebook post Saturday night that hospitals have become “a nest for lethal microbes,” and that the hospitals are not equipped to provide the necessary treatment.