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I lived in Egypt for over 3 years and found that most doctors over prescribed medications when I saw them. I always read the leaflet with the medication and rarely took all they prescribed. Another experiece was being molested by a doctor. Another told me I had arthritis and laughed when he told me. (I dont). However the worst (neuorologist) diagnosed me with epilepsy (I dont have it) gave me medication for it and when I became worse and couldn't walk and barely speak he injected me with something, sent my friend out of the room, when I started coming round started asking me how much my monthly salary was and if I owned my own property - he pinched me hard on the face, told me to sit up (I couldnt) and that I would be better in 2 weeks) and gave me a prescription for 2 strong anti-depresants (I dont have depression). My friend called him after to complain and he said I was mistaken. I had written down all the conversation as soon as I could open my eyes. COuld not see but I could hear everything. Someone found me another dr who worked in France and was visiting Egypt. He said thank goodness I was sensible and didn't take the anti depressants as he would never even prescribe those particular brands to anyone!. He advised me to get home to the UK immediately. Luckily my brother had just arrived and took me home to the UK. 5 months later I am nearly fully recovered. This neurologist I am told was the top one in Alexandria and a lecturer at the medical school. Wish I could tell you his name.
Always read the leaflet of the medication prescribed - I am glad I did and always do and if it may be serious try and get to your home country is my advice. OH Happy Eid. This is not meant to be an Egypt bashing topic but more of a health warning!
Miss_Tigerlily Member # 3567
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Thanks goodness you are doing okay as of now.
I witnessed the uncle of my ex-fiance literally dying in the emergency room and the doctor and nurses were too busy chatting away instead of doing their damn job of saving lives! This was one of my frightenest experiences I ever made in Egypt or anywhere else.
Cheekyferret Member # 15263
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Aside from all the wonderful medical service my family and I have received over 18 years mt only concern is Doctors rarely ask about allergies. But we all carry medical cards and more often than not we know our ailments and cures.
adelly Member # 14574
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well i have been dealing with an overactive thyroid and i have found the doctors to be fairly good. i went first to an internist, who suspected the thyroid and sent me for the blood test and ultrasound. then i saw an endocronologist who was treating me with antithyroid meds. when i failed to respond to those he sent me to the doctor of nuclear medicine who is doing my rai treatment after eid. i havent had any problems with any unprofessional behaviour but then i take my husband or daughter with me .
Pink cherry Member # 13979
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I had a terrible time with the medical people in Egypt.
One doctor over prescribed drugs when I had flu, I developed stomach problems it took a month to get better.
Had a bad fall and damaged my right leg. I was told it would take 2 weeks to heal and that I had chronic arthritis It took 3 months to heal with most help from the physiotherapist at CSA (Maadi). I was so greatful to him as he had to teach me how to get up and down stairs once my leg recovered.
Then I developed terrible pain in my elbow and hand. No one I visited could decide what was wrong After 6 months I returned to UK and had an operation to repair an Ulnar nerve with in 2 weeks of coming back....the doctors in UK said it was so bad, and almost too late
That was 18 months ago, and still not perfect. This my UK doctors say was due to the very slow reactions from Egyptian medical profession.
I wont begin to discuss hospitals or doctors surgeries.......
Ayisha Member # 4713
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First experience but thankfully not my own problem was a visit to the a hospital in Luxor to see a friend of husband. I vowed that day I would not ever go into a hospital here. it wasnt the International hospital but one for the poor. Awful, 4 beds in a small room and nothing else, no room for anything else, no sheet and only a blanket if you had someone bring one in. Other things I will not describe.
Another time was when husbands 3 year old nephew poured boiling fuul down himself off the stove. He was taken to a doctor in the village who gave him medicines ffs. did sod all for the wound and when I went to see him the poor kid was half unconscious with awful burns and flies everywhere. Got him to a burns doctor asap, took a few weeks but he is now like new, not a scar or anything and I had never seen burns so bad before. Doctor was fantastic, spoke English and surgery was clean.
My own experience was I had bronchitis and husband dragged me off to the docs after me insisting I can deal with it. Doc was ok, gave me medicines but that night husband had to send for a doc to come as I couldn't breath. Doc was lovely and gave an injection after much fighting, I could have kissed the man! I could breath. I had developed Bronchial Asthma. Got 2 more injections for the following nights and husband dragged a man in from the coffee shop to inject me, he was brilliant, never felt a thing. The injections were the only thing that allowed me to breath at night.
When I fell off a ladder and broke my toe though I insisted it was fine and didnt see a doctor. Not much they can do for a broken toe anyway unless its the big one so strapped that up myself.
Some doctors are a waste of time but some are brilliant and clean.
Cheekyferret Member # 15263
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Exactly Ayisha, you cannot bundle all hospitals and doctors into one category.
My Father has had evasive surgery for aortoiliac occlusive disease, it was diagnosed here, he was treated here and he is now fit as a fiddle with a broken foot that the Doctors here sorted out for him!
I was mis-diagnosed in the Uk and treated like a fool by a very condescending prick who had me on meds for 2 years, after one quick MRI scan here I was whipped to hospital and given correct treament and meds. Upon visiting the UK and showing my Doctor the MRI scans he told me to never visit him again as I clearly know better than him. That was the only thing he said correctly to me in two years
I am sure there are bad Doctors here (like there is anywhere in the world). But all the help we have received here has been very good value for money.
Shanta Qadeama Member # 9889
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Yes, I agree with CF, good and bad everywhere.
I have friends with horror stories from the UK as well as here eg a friend who's 39 year old sister was having chest pains continually for months, kept going to her GP (in Scotland) who obviously decided she was a bored housewife - the last time she went he gave her an aspirin and she died of a mammoth heart attack at the wheel of her car in his car park.
For myself, my GP in the UK kept dismissing certain problems of mine as 'your age deary' and it was thanks to an Egyptian doctor who said things weren't right that I paid for a private exam in the Uk (£650) and had to have an op. and it's lucky for me that I had the wherewithall to pay out that kind of money and also lucky that my work health scheme - which I was not a member of at the time - accepted me AFTER the diagnosis and paid for me to have the op privately. (It was before I moved here).
Here, one visit to a specialist - non-cardio - and without me even mentioning it at all - he picked up my skipping heart beat because he took the pulse for a full minute instead of the standard UK 10 seconds.
I also know people here who have had bad problems but also those with good experiences.
Advice from one friend with quite a lot of (mixed) experience here is if you have a condition that requires treatment - get your care plan prepared outside of Egypt and then have the treatment done here.
Ayisha Member # 4713
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Although I think the NHS is a great thing they often get things wrong.
My mum was complaining of pains in various parts for a while, docs put her down as a hypercondriac. When her mind seemed to go again they said nothing wrong. Then her legs went, couldn't walk, was taken into hospital at our requst for tests, they said they could find nothing and it was probably 'mental' problems. The one day my sister and I did not go with dad to see her, she had been in 3 days by then, was the day they chose to tell my dad they had found cancer in lungs brain and various other parts. She died 9 days later of Disseminated Carcinoma.
Cheekyferret Member # 15263
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Holy crap!
That is an awful story.
Just goes to show though that problems exist everywhere. In both Egypt and the UK I think it is very important to get a 2nd opinion.
Mrs Hassan Member # 15069
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Had amputation... but hey I'm armless enough now!!! boom boom.....
The Cake Is a Lie Member # 18320
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No matter which country you're in, Medicine remains an extremely, extremely, extremely inaccurate science.
Some tips for the future:
✔ Try to stick to University Professors (preferably Cairo/El-Kasr-El-Einy or Ain-Shams) with 'إستشارى (Esteshary)' beside their names.
✔ 'American Board' / 'Member of the Royal Colleges' are always a good plus.
✔ Avoid public hospitals like the plague!
✔ Avoid public hospitals like the plague!
✔ We abuse Antibiotics (you'll basically end up carrying super-powered organisms to your country).
✔ We always get a second opinion, usually a third and fourth too.
tina kamal Member # 13845
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quote:Originally posted by Mrs Hassan: Had amputation... but hey I'm armless enough now!!! boom boom.....
i bet yr husband is upset about that? was it yr right arm? i assume ur right handed? sorry everyone already knows i am a pervert....
Mo Ning Min E Member # 681
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Don't trust doctors. Apart from surgery, doctors never cured anyone until 1929. And doctors have been around for millennia! Many of them can make you feel better whilst your body recovers, but a good proportion simply misdiagnose the problem.
akshar Member # 1680
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I have had kidney stones and a hysterectomy down, in Cairo at the Cleopatra hospital at Heliopolis and have been totally happy with my care. The only thing I have found is they expect you to grin and bear it and don't manage pain very well. I have had to kick and scream for analgesics even post operatively. The hospital is spotlessly clean, the doctors know their business, there is a very nice cafe. I had a private room and hubby was able to stay in the hospital sleeping on the couch which converted into a bed and got meals.
Cheekyferret Member # 15263
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Akshar, Cleopatra is my hospital of choice. Over the years I have had excellent service from there and that is where my father was diagnosed and operated on.
The after care was awesome. We were spoiled and not overcharged.
Dzosser Member # 9572
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quote:Originally posted by akshar: I have had kidney stones and a hysterectomy down, in Cairo at the Cleopatra hospital at Heliopolis and have been totally happy with my care. The only thing I have found is they expect you to grin and bear it and don't manage pain very well. I have had to kick and scream for analgesics even post operatively. The hospital is spotlessly clean, the doctors know their business, there is a very nice cafe. I had a private room and hubby was able to stay in the hospital sleeping on the couch which converted into a bed and got meals.
Yes well that's what you'd expect in any grade A hospital in Cairo, look at the bill too.
Monkey Member # 17287
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When I was in the Sinai ( ) I had an ear problem. Started out like trapped water - I tried the old tricks - jumping around and shaking my head like a spanner, all to no avail. As the night went on it got more and more painful. So I visited the hotel doctor.
I was quite surprised when I turned up at the surgery. They guy there looked like Neil from the Young Ones. I was pretty put off to see him checking out a university website, thinking oh gawd, he's only just qualified. He took a look at my ear then told me to take off my trousers. Ooookaaaay... what's Neil up to here? A minute after he'd given me the shot, I was pretty glad I'd trusted Neil, because it felt like my butt was on fire. Really wouldn't have liked that in my arm.
I've had recurring ear problems since I was a kid. Normally they drag on for weeks - sometimes months. This guy had my ear feeling much better by the next morning - two days later it was completely ok.
I would say they completely stung me on the bill. £80 for a consultation, a jab, and two rounds of pills surely is a bit OTT? But he did an excellent job and I can't really grumble. Tourists are walking cash registers after all... *kerging*
stayingput Member # 14989
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I had a horrible stomach problem and after a couple of days Mr. Wonderful said "Enough!" and took me to a maternity hospital in the neighborhood because it was close.
The diagnosis? My appendix was about to burst and I had to be operated on immediately.
Not.
The pharmacist down the street sold him a couple stomach calming tablets (and, of course, antibiotics) and that fixed the problem.
Then there was the lady who was sent home with her tumor in a jar, to put in the refrigerator....
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) I had an ear problem. Started out like trapped water - I tried the old tricks - jumping around and shaking my head like a spanner, all to no avail. As the night went on it got more and more painful. So I visited the hotel doctor.