Doctors Syndicate Secretary General Ihab al-Tahir said in a press conference on Wednesday that 75 percent of the doctors in Cairo took part in the strike on Wednesday. Al-Tahir said the doctors came from 32 hospitals, including 19 hospitals that had 100 percent participation, two with 95 percent, three with 80 percent and one with 75 percent.
He said the hospitals of Matareya, Mounira, Al-Hod Al-Marsoud and Al-Sawya Al-Hamra saw 100 percent participation, as well as the Liver Institute, the hospitals of New Cairo, Shubra, Al-Khazindar, Dar Al-Salam, Boulaq, Al-Shorouk and Abbasiya for Mental Health, while the Nasser Institute Hospital had 80 percent participation.
Dr. Rashwan Shaaban, a syndicate member, said Damietta hospital had 100 percent participation, while Gharbiya had 90 percent, Giza and Assiut 80 percent, Ismailia 70 percent, Beni Suef 50 percent, Menoufia 40 percent and Minya 30 percent. Only three hospitals took part in Qalyubiya and none did in Fayoum.
Officials at the Pharmacists Syndicate said 85 percent of pharmacists participated in the strike.
Journalists covering the press conference withdrew when their colleague at Al-Youm 7 newspaper was forbidden from covering it in an allegedly inappropriate manner and without explanation. They said they would file a complaint with the Journalists Syndicate.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
