The sad face of an Egyptian hospital

The following image I will describe to you will most probably make you sad, but from a different perspective will make you appreciate what You already have and maybe something you might normally complain about....because it sure opened my eyes!

A very close friend of mine got very sick and was taken to a hospital this morning. I went to see her this evening and what I walked into had a shocking effect on me - the governmental public hospital in Cairo.

The building looked much rather like prisons in Europe. Big, spacious and cold. The ladies room my friend was sleeping in was old and paint dripping from walls (I saw some rooms did not have windows), old beds with old sheets and no pillows. One of the girls in the room had a blood bag attached to her arm. The stand holding the bag was too short to reach her and was placed on a hospital table turned upside down. I could see blood drops on the table and her sheets.
Suddenly I saw CATS (!) running into the room looking for food from the trash bins. There were many street cats circulating the hospital, because they had free entrance, there doors were wide open. I, by the way, had to pay an entrance fee of 2 LEU because I visited outside from the visiting time.

In the hallways patients walked around in dirty old hospital clothes, old and fresh blood stains all over the shirts. This made me so depressed.

I can go on with the description, but im sure You got the picture. This really makes me think, is it not the duty of the state to serve it's people, provide decent hygienic conditions for it's citizen in need for it ... I will never ever again complain about any deficiencies of hospitals in my home Estonia. We have been blessed and let's not take it for granted.

Oh and PS! The doctor of my friend told her she needs to change the hospital to take a very specific deep-scan test for her body. The doctor admitted the equipment of this hospital is not advanced enough in secret. She then asked my friend not to tell anyone about her advice to change the hospital, otherwise her manager would fire her or punish her. This doctor was very professional for admitting the weaknesses of the place and directing the patient to the right place, rather than keeping her and have her pay for treatment that will not help and is not enough for her. What ever happened to the oath of Hippocrates?! Swearing to practice medicine honestly?! But even though there are good and bad medical personnel working together, justice and fare decisions can win....just secretly and hidden ... in Egypt.

Who want's to read more, here is a good article:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/58686/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-public-hospitals-From-bad-to-worse.aspx