Facebook Page Puts Spotlight on Poor Egyptian Healthcare Conditions

Eager to change the conditions inside the Egyptian healthcare system, doctors across the county have taken to social media.

A Facebook page called “So He Won’t Be Surprised If He Visits” was anonymously created on Sunday to share photos of Egyptian hospitals from governorates across the country. The page, which calls on doctors across the country to send in their photos, already has more than 270,000 likes – in just four days.

The page-turned-campaign was created after Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb paid surprise visits Saturday to two healthcare facilities in Giza, which were covered by Egyptian media. The prime minister reportedly expressed his great surprise at the state of facilities. Mehleb later dismissed the head of the National Heart Institute over the situation.

The photos show unsanitary healthcare conditions including stray animals such as cats and dogs and livestock wandering into hospital wards, damaged hospital beds and unclean bathrooms.

A hashtag with the same name as the Facebook page has started circulating, with some people using it to express surprise and concern over the photos while others are sharing sarcastic comments.

However, the authenticity of the photos has been called into question by some, including a spokesperson for the Egyptian Health Ministry, who said in a TV interview that "there are exaggerations in the campaign, not all images were taken recently,” according to the BBC .

Egypt Independent also reported that responses varied when patients at the NHI were asked about the conditions there, as a group of people emphasized they received better treatment while others disagreed.

The Doctors' Syndicate released a statement on Sunday after Mehleb’s visit to comment on his surprise.

“Our voices got tired from talking about the bad conditions in public hospitals a long time ago and the government did not take any action to resolve it. This phenomenon will continue and the dismissal of the manager or the switching of doctors' offices will not change anything,” the statement said, according to Egypt Independent .