Egyptian doctors receive patients at the infectious diseases unit of the Imbaba hospital in the capital Cairo, on April 19,2020, during the novel coronavirus pandemic crisis. (AFP)
The Egyptian Medical Syndicate announced on Sunday the death of Dr Gamal Abul Ela, a consultant of internal medicine who passed away due to coronavirus complications.
According to Ibrahim El-Zayat, a member of the Medical Syndicate’s board, Abul Ela is the 26th doctor to pass away from COVID-19 since the outbreak of the virus in Egypt, according to the syndicate’s figures.
The syndicate said that over 330 doctors in Egypt have been infected by the coronavirus.
Egypt’s Ministry of Health announced on Sunday that all fellowship, new and old assignment system doctors will be assigned to coronavirus screening and quarantine hospitals nationwide, according to an urgent letter sent to all departments and health directorates.
The new doctor assignment system was announced in mid-May, allowing 7,000 newly graduated physicians to enroll in the hospital system. The new assignment system was met with controversy and rejection from the young doctors, according to the syndicate, which demanded that the government stick to the old doctor assignment system during the coronavirus crisis.
In a meeting between the head of the Doctors Syndicate Hussein Khairy and Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly last week, the prime minister stated that the new doctor assignment system was also being discussed and negotiated with all parties involved in it.
The ministry also asked health directorates and sectors as well as the national health insurance sector to do a full inventory of manpower from the medical staff.
The ministry also demanded that hospitals not give doctors sick leave except after a medical checkup is conducted at the General National Health Insurance Authority.
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