Facebook Page Puts Spotlight on Poor Egyptian Healthcare Conditions

Egyptian doctors and activists take to social media to report on healthcare conditions in their country.

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 .

Dubai Doesn't Care About Abu Dhabi's New Free Zone

And even if Dubai did care, everyone knows it is the best.

At a recent press conference, the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) wanted to let everyone know that, really, it didn't care about the new free zone in Abu Dhabi.

DIFC governor Essa Kazim said that the two entities wouldn't compete at all because the market is “big enough for two [financial free zones in the UAE].”

Abu Dhabi's free zone, Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), was first announced in 2013 and began forming its regulations for tenants earlier this year. Some have said that the new free zone could put Dubai's status as the top financial center in MENA at risk.

Although Kazim believes that the two entities can co-exist, using Emirates Airways and Etihad as an example of how two businesses from the Emirates can prosper independently, he dismissed a partnership with ADGM in the future.

Kazim went on to say that, regardless of ADGM, Dubai has always been considered a safe haven for international companies and that he believes that will always be the case.

Oh snap.