On September 23, 2022, I opened my Instagram account to see people sharing a video of an Egyptian woman, captioned “Help and Share please.” The 14-minute video of a mother pleading for justice for her one-year-old son was also a story that layered decades of a broken healthcare system in Egypt.
This is the story that left me in tears and a strong inclination to do everything in my power to help bring justice to this mother and her son:
TRIGGER WARNING: Death, Medical Negligence
Hadir Al Rifai, a mother in Alexandria, Egypt, began her video by expressing that it had been 4 months since the death of her son due to an unnecessary surgery. She labeled the two doctors who were responsible for her son, Dr. Waheed Ithman and Dr. Nadir Faseeh, as killers, since they have been purposely delaying her son’s autopsy and forensic report.
On May 21, 2022, Hadir took her son, Ayub, to see his pediatrician after his cold lasted over a week. Her son’s pediatrician suggested that he should stay on his regular medications and see a pulmonologist for a more specific diagnosis. She went to the first pulmonologist, Dr. Ashraf Galal, and explained that her son was completely normal, playing with the other kids at the clinic and not showing any major signs of urgency. Dr. Galal informed her that air was not reaching his left lung efficiently, but it wasn’t an urgent matter. He suggested getting an x-ray and returning back to him once that was completed. This information worried Hadir, and she decided to get a second opinion from another renowned doctor in Alexandria, Dr. Nadir Faseeh, following her friend’s suggestion.
Upon arrival at Dr. Faseeh’s clinic on the same day, he examined Ayub in under a minute, according to Hadir. He informed her that he needed to undergo an emergency pulmonary endoscopy immediately, without any x-ray results. When Hadir attempted to inquire about the doctor’s hasty decision and the possibility of alternative treatments, he dismissed her and told her not to question his decision, as he was in full authority. Dr. Faseeh asked Hadir if Ayub was fasting, and she informed him that he wasn’t. Dr. Faseeh then instructed Hadir to pay the full amount at the Heart and Lung Hospital, which is where he would perform the procedure the following morning. Hadir suggested doing the endoscopy at a hospital she was more familiar with, but he insisted that this procedure could only be done at the Heart and Lung Hospital because the doctor there, Dr. Waheed Ithman, had the specific device required to perform the procedure. Again, Hadir asked Dr. Faseeh to explain the risks of the procedure, to which he responded that there are none, and told her to refrain from asking any further questions. Hadir, frightened by the urgency of the doctors’ tone, went to the hospital to pay 10,000 Egyptian pounds for Dr. Faseeh and 3,000 for Dr. Ithman.
The following day, Hadir and her husband, Ayman, took Ayub to the hospital to get his 8-10 minute pulmonary endoscopy. In the video, Hadir emphasized that Ayub was completely normal and healthy upon entering the hospital.
At 9:00 AM, Hadir admitted Ayub to the hospital for his endoscopy, anticipating that this procedure would not take more than 30 minutes.
At 9:20 AM, Hadir asked for updates about her son, but no one responded to her.
At 9:45 AM, a nurse informed Ayub’s parents that he was in very critical condition. When Hadir pressed for more information from one of the doctors performing the procedure, the nurse was dismissive and neglected her request.
Even after an hour, Ayub’s parents had not received an update on their son. They decided to call their friend, a doctor so that he could enter the operating room and check on their son.
Their friend arrived at 10:30 AM.
At 10:45 AM, their friend entered the operating room and came out moments later to inform them that Ayub’s pulse was fading. When they went in for the second time with the device, there was no oxygen reaching his brain for 4 minutes. It's hard to imagine the despair and distress Hadir and her husband felt as they sat in the waiting area for hours, pleading to take their son from the operating room by any means necessary despite his condition.
Their friend left the room for the second time, at 1:20 PM, to deliver the heartbreaking news that Ayub had passed away.
At this point, the three doctors performing the operation still had not provided any updates about Ayub. Hadir and her husband were left outside in the waiting area after learning of Ayub’s passing. They begged for Ayub’s body or even to talk to one of the doctors in charge. Still, all three doctors refused to come out of the operating room. One of the hospital cleaners then walked out of the room, pushing forward a locker and taking it into an adjacent room. Hadir noticed that the janitor took Ayub’s corpse out of the locker and threw his small, lifeless body into one of the non-ventilated hospital rooms, for everyone in the waiting room to witness. Hadir describes his body as cold and blue, his chest marked with three holes punctured by metal. This led Hadir to think that Ayub’s body had been lifeless for quite some time, and yet no one had informed them. No one took accountability. There was no respect for Ayub, for his parents, or for human life, for that matter. Ayub remained in the non-ventilated room for hours filled with other hospital patients. His now childless parents were left pleading for help, constantly reliving the gruesome actions and negligence the three doctors inflicted on their 1-year-old boy.
Recent evidence points to the video taken during the operation. The doctors went in for the first time and found nothing concerning inside Ayub’s lungs. Instead of informing the parents of this, they went back in multiple times, which was more than what Ayub’s 1-year-old body could handle. In addition to their negligence with his body, they did not have an endoscopy machine or anesthetics fit for a 1-year-old’s body. To make matters worse, the doctors were engaged in laughter and sarcasm during the duration of the surgery.
This story should be a constant reminder that medicine is a delicate field that should not be taken as a business opportunity or a means for social recognition. Doctors have the lives of their patients in their hands, uniquely positioned to prevent tragedies, like Ayub’s. Instead of using their power to advocate and nourish the lives of their patients, they perpetuated a cycle of negligence and low regard for human life.
The merciless actions of these physicians speak to their lack of integrity and humanity. In particular, how can a physician assess Ayub’s dire condition in under one minute? How can a physician refuse to even hear out a worried mother? As humans, we are to be emotionally competent and compassionate. As physicians, a large portion of the role is to hone these skills and apply them in patience; the lack of these skills can be fatal. Furthermore, patient involvement is critical to quality care, yet Dr. Waheed Ithman and Dr. Nadir Faseeh failed to practice it.
Ayub and his parents deserve justice for the doctor's medical negligence, medical experimentation, and ultimately the violation of the right to proper healthcare. In order for Hadir to continue fighting for her son’s justice, she needs the forensic report, and we can help push these doctors to release this report in the following ways:
Take Action:
Email template can be sent to:
Ms. Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right to health (OHCHR-UNOG)
hrc-sr-health@un.org
Physicians for Human Rights Advocacy and Media teams
advocacy@phr.org
media@phr.org
Other human rights organizations or officials who can help
Reshare Hadir’s Instagram video of her telling her story (even if you don't understand Arabic) and tag this blog with an English-translated version so others can share so that more human rights organizations and government officials can see it.
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