The story of the world’s heaviest woman’s dramatic weight loss at a city hospital has turned controversial with her sister alleging she actually hasn’t lost much weight, and the hospital is ill-equipped.
In a video, Eman Ahmed’s sister Shaaima Selim speaks in Arabic — they are Egyptian nationals — about how everything was done for propaganda. She claims Ms. Ahmed is very sick and her condition is worrying. “Everything is a lie. Eman has not lost 240 kg or 260 kg. Eman is in a critical condition since one-and-a-half months. She is on high levels of medication. Her face and hands have turned bluish,” Shaimaa claims in the video shot on April 14.
She told The Hindu that the video is authentic. “My sister’s condition is better now, but ten days ago, she was [in an] extremely bad [condition],”she said, adding nothing has changed for Ms. Ahmed.
Weighing in at 500 kg before landing in Mumbai, Ms. Ahmed was said to be world’s heaviest woman. She has shed dozens of kilos after her treatment began, but repeated epileptic attacks lasting microseconds have been a worry for the doctors, who had hoped to do a CT scan on her. However, as none of the CT scan machines in the city could take Emaan’s weight and girth, they had to wait. “If they are not equipped, why did they bring her from her country,” says Ms. Selim.
She adds, “People here are not good at all, not polite. Liars. Dr. Muffazal [Lakdawala] cheated us. He said Eman will be treated and she will be fine. She has been destroyed. She has been operated just to show people that she has lost some weight.”
However, authorities at Saifee Hospital, where she is being treated, alleged Ms. Selim had started blackmailing them as she is not prepared to take her sister back home. To placate Ms. Selim, hospital authorities approached the Egyptian ambassador and Consul General. Dr. Lakdawala has raised over ₹64 lakh via crowd-funding, but sources said the overall cost has touched ₹2 crore till now. “It seems she [Ms. Selim] is not prepared to go back. And that fright that has led her to make all these allegations,” the hospital’s COO Huzaifa Sehabi said.
‘Current weight is 171 kg’
Bariatic surgeon Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala, who is heading the treatment, put up fresh pictures on the ‘Save Eman’ blog, which showed her sitting near a TV.
He said Eman weighed 171 kg as on Monday. “I am extremely saddened by this. If this is the result, humanitarian deeds will stop completely,” Dr Lakdawala said referring to Ms. Selim’s allegations against the treatment. He said he has done his best and given Ms. Ahmed a chance to live a better life. “Since Day One, I have never said she will walk or stand. I have tracked the reason for her obesity and brought her to a better position than what she was in earlier.”
Dr. Lakdawala said Ms. Ahmed is doing very well as far as her obesity-related problems are concerned. “Her vitals and thyroid levels are under control. Her water retention had been tackled. All she needs now is a neurological rehabilitation, which can be done back home.”
He said the first time she was weighed was a month after her arrival in Mumbai, and she registered 378 kg. “We have not weighed her before that. In the letter Ms. Selim wrote to us, she mentioned that her sister weighed 500 kg. She has suddenly started making all these wrong accusations.”
He added that Ms. Ahmed is scheduled to undergo a CT scan on Tuesday.
