File Photo: Egypt's State Information Service headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. Photo courtesy of SIS.
The two newspapers had reported that a British holidaymaker, identified in earlier coverage as 29-year-old Sian Irving, underwent an appendectomy during a ten-day trip to the Red Sea resort with her partner to mark his birthday last year, and that she has since been unable to eat certain everyday foods.
The reports framed the case as a botched or unnecessary surgery carried out at the Egyptian hospital.
In its response, issued as part of its role in monitoring foreign media coverage of Egypt and correcting inaccurate reporting in coordination with relevant national authorities, the SIS said the claims lacked factual grounding.
SIS Chairman Ambassador Alaa Youssef sent letters to the editors-in-chief of both newspapers, expressing surprise that the story was published roughly a year after the woman's visit to Sharm El-Sheikh.
Citing information from Egypt's General Authority for Healthcare, the SIS said official hospital records confirmed the woman did not undergo any surgical intervention or treatment at Sharm El-Sheikh International Hospital.
According to the records, the hospital's only involvement was performing a CT scan requested by another medical provider, and the woman was not admitted to the emergency or surgical departments, nor was she registered as an inpatient.
The SIS also said neither the woman nor anyone representing her had filed a formal complaint, requested a refund, or sought a review of the services provided during her time in Egypt.
In his statement, Ambassador Youssef said the claims in the two reports lacked factual basis and documented evidence, and called on both newspapers to publish the SIS response in full, in line with professional journalistic standards and ethics, to ensure the public has access to accurate information.
The response comes amid a broader SIS drive to address inaccurate foreign media coverage of Egypt by proactively providing international outlets with verified and documented information.
In July, Youssef described misleading foreign reporting as “an immense challenge,” saying the agency aims to provide media organizations with reliable information before publication instead of waiting to issue corrections afterwards.
He said the SIS circulates official information through its website and foreign press offices, responds to journalists’ inquiries, and coordinates with ministries and other state bodies to obtain authoritative answers. The agency also organizes briefings and field visits for foreign correspondents, although Youssef said some outlets had failed to respond to such invitations.
The SIS has recently challenged several reports by international publications. In May, Youssef sent a formal response to The Economist, rejecting what the agency described as misleading claims about Egyptian–Emirati relations and criticizing the magazine for presenting an overly simplistic assessment of the partnership.
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