“I took my three-month old daughter to all of Daqahliya hospitals. She died due to negligence and absence of empty place at the Intensive care unit, although the international hospital has four ICUs,” says thirty-year old worker Sameh Ramadan about his daughter who suffered pneumonia that lead to her death at the health insurance hospital.
The father narrated details of his disaster. “My daughter Jana, three month old, caught cold that developed to shortness of breath. I took her to Dekernes public hospital on 21 January. Doctors assured her health condition was stable and that she needed a gas analysis at the children’s university hospital in Mansoura. She was held at the hospital. A sample was taken from her to check if she had bird flu, which was sent to the ministry’s central laboratories. Doctors then said she was getting better.”
“I was surprised by a phone call from the hospital asking me to transfer the girl to the children’s intensive care unit because her breathing was irregular. She was in bad condition. I begged to doctors to keep her at hospital. They all confirmed that all the ICUs at the hospital are occupied and that they have waiting lists for 10 coming days. My daughter was in bad condition. We couldn’t wait,” he adds.
“I headed to all hospitals of Health Ministry, where all officials assured there was no ICUs for children, which only existed in Mansoura international hospitals, Mit Ghamr and Sinbellaween. They also didn’t have empty places,” the father says.
Crying, Ramadan said, “an official from health department told me that Mansoura international hospital has 10 ICUs,four of which are empty. I went there. The doctors told me that only six ICUs are working, while the four others are closed according to the manager’s hospitals. I headed again to the health department to complain and ask for help to my daughter, but they told me they know nothing and that they only have six busy ICUs denying presence of the four closed ones.”
Ramadan said he found nothing but a private hospital that faced the university one. To his surprise, spending one night there cost LE1,000 in addition to costs of medicines, analysis and x-rays. He agreed, although he did not have the money. After having the analysis, she was found out to be suffering severe pneumonia at the two lungs and that she needed a respirator.
“Doctors of the private hospital said the child’s health was improving. One of them asked me to transfer her to a state-owned hospital to save money. She was then transferred to the health insurance hospital.Hours later, my daughter died while being on the respirator. She was then transferred by an ambulance to home then to be buried,” he added.
The same happened with Karim al-Sayyed Wahba, 14-month old, who stays at Nabarouh hospital. He suffers respiratory failure and his family looks for an empty place at ICU.
“My kid is dying. I went to all hospitals but in vain. They all say the children’s ICU are busy.Doctors told me to go to a private hospital,” the father says.
Doctor Heba al-Sherif, head of the critical care at the health department in Daqahliya, said the governorate suffers shortage in places for the children at ICUs. There are only 10 ICUs in Mansoura international hospital, two in Mit Ghamr and two in Sinbellawin. Four ICUs are being equipped in hospitals of Aga and Sherbin. Mansoura hospital did not notify the department about closing four ICUs.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
