Mumbai: The battle between Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty’s sister Shaimaa Selim and Saifee Hospital took an ugly turn on Thursday with the latter sending a written complaint to V.P. Road police station requesting them to restrict the sister from making deliberate attempts to spoil Ms. Ahmed’s health.
In their complaint, Saifee Hospital’s chief security officer Rakesh Singh alleged that Ms. Selim has been forcefully attempting to feed the patient through the mouth even when she is at the risk of aspirating food into the airway.
Minister visits hospital
On Thursday, Health Minister Deepak Sawant visited the hospital to get the real picture. “I saw her reports and met her. I don’t think the doctors have left any scope of complaints,” said Dr. Sawant, adding that the ongoing spar has put doctors in the bad light.
“I wanted to see the reality with my own eyes and I feel very disappointed by whatever the patient’s relative has done,” he said. He added that he had conveyed his thoughts to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who had facilitated visas for Ms. Ahmed and her sister so that she could be brought to Mumbai for a bariatric surgery. Ms. Swaraj also took updates on Ms. Ahmed’s health from Dr. Mufazzal Lakdawala and hospital COO Huzaifa Sehabi.
Inspiration to millions
Ms. Ahmed weighed 500 kg before she was started on treatment by Dr. Lakdawala and his team. She now weighs 176 kg. A statement issued by the doctor on Thursday said, “As the treatment here concludes she is being shifted to Burjeel Hospital (a hospital initially introduced to the family by Dr. Lakdawala) in U.A.E . Secondary physiotherapy will continue over there as it is closer to home for Ms. Ahmed and her family. Ms. Ahmed is an inspiration to millions of critical and obese patients world over that someone as serious as she can get better with expert medical care and advances in medical science.”
Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, managing director of VPS Healthcare that runs Burjeel Hospital, visited her early on Thursday.
Ms. Selim said, “I don’t know how much time they will take to shift her. Probably, two more days.” She said no one told her that she is not supposed to feed water to her sister. “I gave her water with wet cotton. What is the problem with that? If there is a problem, no one told me that.”
“I am extremely scared now. I am taking care of my sister all alone. These people called the police for such a small issue,” she said, adding Dr. Lakdawala told her that he gave a piece of chocolate a few days ago. “So why would I think that water is not allowed to her?”
Hospital unaffected
Mr. Sehabi said the entire episode has not affected the functioning of the hospital. “We are carrying out our regular work. We are seeing our patients the same way. All this has not affected us,” he said, adding that the Saifee doctors have managed the most crucial part of her treatment. “Now there is only physiotherapy for her. We were anyway in the process of arranging someone to visit her home in Alexandria before she sent out the video.”
Early this week, Ms. Selim had circulated a video stating that her sister’s condition is bad and that everything was done for propaganda.
