Hospital experiences in Egypt

Year end is the time for holidays and travels but I am here, in a foreign country, badly suffered in the hospital with my son’s accident. I want to share my terrible experience with everyone here, as a lesson for everyone to avoid.... It’s terrifying to me till.
Friday November 30, 2018, I and my son went to ****. After check up and X-ray, we were admitted to room 614 to wait for the surgery after a deposit of 12,000 EGP. They told my friend that after the surgery, they will calculate the exact amount, if it’s less than the deposit, we will get a refund for the excessive. The surgeon was good so the surgery went well.
The next day – Saturday Dec 1, 2018, the doctor did not come at 10.00 AM to check my son as promised. His assistant did, told us that we could go home as he gave us all instructions and prescriptions, just like the doctor. I decided to go home because my baby kept crying for that.
However, the assistant said I needed to pay another 15.000 EGP for surgeon fee. I was shocked because nobody had ever let me know in advance. He insisted on its payment in cash with the excuse that I won’t have to pay tax, and he didn’t know why the hospital’s workers didn’t tell me.  My friend was the one to interpret our conversations and he (my friend) didn’t mention that fee either.
I did not have enough money and no idea what was going on so at that time. The only thought came into my mind was to do anything to keep my boy safe… I called my friends, borrowed money because my husband was abroad. Then my friend called the surgeon, dealt that my husband would pay him when he comes back, and we could wait to see the surgeon to make sure my son’s arm is proper.
The surgeon came at 2:00pm. After my son got checked up, we told him that my husband would take care for the money as I didn’t have enough at that time. (We were alone in the hospital at that moment). The surgeon said that he didn’t know why the hospital didn’t tell me and why I didn’t ask. You can imagine, how can I think further when they’d already announced an amount to be paid and then asked for more… How can I know that the Egypt Medical system payment is done in 2 TIMES with 2 SEPARATE METHODS: hospitals and doctors, and even without prior notice. My friends, who were with me from the beginning, didn’t receive any information either. Why didn’t they tell us transparently? God knows.
You thought that was the last part of the whole terrible plot? No, not yet.
After the surgeon left, they kept rushing us out of the room, from 12 PM to 2:15 PM. I was knowing nothing to do. I, on my own, with a baby child broken his arm crying loudly wanting to go home.
12:30 PM, lost in thoughts, I took my baby for bathing, took off the rings and you know what? I FORGOT MY 3 RINGS IN THE BATHROOM.
And I didn’t realize it until we’re on the way back home, so, quickly and nervously, we turned back and reached the hospital 3 hours later.
Unsurprisingly, nothing was left on the scene and even when we tried to asked, everyone confirmed with certainty they had found nothing. A nice lady advised me to come back the next Sunday to check the retrieved camera data along with them, to identify who was in the room after we had left. I was released when hearing so, and came home, with less doubt, but worried still cause they 3 rings were not only possession but precious gifts…
I came to the hospital the next days promised, the nice lady wasn’t there. Instead, another woman appeared and refused to help, telling me to wait for more 2 – 3 days for them to search and ask for more people working on that day. Two days passed. My husband arrived in Egypt, went there for discussion and none has been solved until now.
Now I am so upset because I still cannot believe those people could be that greedy in the hospital. How could they take advantage of a mom with a baby while we were alone, suffering after an accident? How could the people share no mercy to others as they work in the hospital? How could the hospital hire thieves?
All that had happened was like a nightmare. Husband’s away. Son’s broken arm. Anniversary rings were stolen…
My husband said that he can do a police report; however, there is no proof as there is no cameras in the bathroom. Although the police can investigate on who cleaned the room after we left, people in the hospital still denied, saying they saw none. It seems like there is no way to see again my wedding ring and two others, which have been with me for 15 years.
It is heart – breaking that I have to suffer too much since I came here.
And it is disappointing it happened my husband’s country, which is my little son very proud of to be a citizen of.
Time to leave….
Be careful if you have to stay….
Thuy Le