# Don't get sick in Egypt



## aykalam

These are really third world standards, when something as basic as penicillin becomes unavailable: 

"A shortage of penicillin on the local market is making it hard for many critically ill Egyptians to get the treatment they need, industry experts and patients say.

Cairo and other governorates are suffering from severe shortages of both locally and internationally produced penicillin, according to pharmacist Ayman Bakhit, who also said seven penicillin alternatives have also disappeared from the market as well as certain heart medications. 

Sayyed Ahmed told Al-Masry Al-Youm that his wife has suffered from rheumatic fever for 10 years and depends entirely on the penicillin she is supposed to take to allow her to get out of bed.

Some are coming to Cairo from smaller cities and towns to search for the drug.

Bakhit said the penicillin shortage is not new, but has worsened recently due to the lack of market regulation. The government can no longer afford subsidies for some expensive drugs, which is compounded by the shortage of raw, imported materials that local companies use to replicate certain drugs, he added.

Abdel Nasser Zenhom, whose daughter takes penicillin twice a month, said he cannot afford the alternative medicine he found that costs LE40 per dose.

Makram Mehanna, chairman of the Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry, said reforms have prompted some companies to suspend penicillin production, adding that delays in importing materials used to make the drug are also contributing to the problem. He is not worried, though, because two companies are soon expected to import 2 million packages of penicillin to cover the market needs.

Strikes at pharmaceutical companies have impacted production, as well as the deteriorating security situation in Egypt, leading some companies to reduce shifts to ensure worker safety, Mehanna said. The downgrade of Egypt's credit rating following the revolution has also been problematic for importers and delayed the process of importing drugs because of pharmaceutical companies' lack of financial liquidity.

Mohsen Ahmed, chairman of the Egyptian Company for Pharmaceutical Trading, said his company has received large amounts of penicillin from the Nile Company for Pharmaceuticals and Chemical Industries and has stocked its affiliate pharmacies nationwide."

http://news.egypt.com/english/permalink/47910.html


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## MaidenScotland

On the plus side it will prevent Egyptians swallowing antibiotics as if they are smarties.


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## hurghadapat

MaidenScotland said:


> On the plus side it will prevent Egyptians swallowing antibiotics as if they are smarties.


Huuuh......if they can't find antibiotics they will swallow anything else they can find....but isn't the answer to everything in Egypt an injection or an IV...


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## MaidenScotland

hurghadapat said:


> Huuuh......if they can't find antibiotics they will swallow anything else they can find....but isn't the answer to everything in Egypt an injection or an IV...




You forgot to mention pessaries lol


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## canuck2010

An Egyptian colleague had a sore back, he went to the chemist and they gave him an injection of morphine!


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## bat

canuck2010 said:


> An Egyptian colleague had a sore back, he went to the chemist and they gave him an injection of morphine!


And I'm thinking yes, so what's wrong with that, but then I got it, he really should have gone home and got his mother to do it or as my husband did yesterday looked sideways in the mirror and do it him self!!
Have I been here to long!!


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## marenostrum

hurghadapat said:


> Huuuh......if they can't find antibiotics they will swallow anything else they can find....but isn't the answer to everything in Egypt an injection or an IV...


How about the poor unsuspecting tourists who are given veterinary antibiotic by the pharmacy to cure an uspet stomach, the tourist charged 100LE when the med costs 20....hippocratic oath.....does it count here?


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## gerhardme1954

Any situation has two sides. We buy the antibiotics for kids and friends living and working in the UK, as well as back home. Try getting antibiotics out of the NHS...you go from one redicilious situation to the exact opposite. Back home the cost of a doctors consultation (no prescription, no meds) and the price of antibiotics is a ripoff. I am not in favour of meds getting dished up like smarties, but also not cool with red tape preventing you to get it when you need it.


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## bat

marenostrum said:


> How about the poor unsuspecting tourists who are given veterinary antibiotic by the pharmacy to cure an uspet stomach, the tourist charged 100LE when the med costs 20....hippocratic oath.....does it count here?


Again, don't see what's wrong with that , there interchangeable , are they not.
Gave my dog human worming tablets this morning in there chicken wings, except for got who had what, and ended up 6 worm tablets 4 omega 3 capsules and 2 multivitamins tablets plus 3 blood pressure tabs for good measure,so between me and the 2 dogs its going to be a good day!!


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## Sonrisa

I have been laughing so hard with this thread, that my tummy hurts! I guess I should go get some morphine shots now


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## MaidenScotland

gerhardme1954 said:


> Any situation has two sides. We buy the antibiotics for kids and friends living and working in the UK, as well as back home. Try getting antibiotics out of the NHS...you go from one redicilious situation to the exact opposite. Back home the cost of a doctors consultation (no prescription, no meds) and the price of antibiotics is a ripoff. I am not in favour of meds getting dished up like smarties, but also not cool with red tape preventing you to get it when you need it.




bit confused here... you talk about the NHS then say the cost of a doctors consultation is a ripoff... you only pay for a consultation when you go private.


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## Maireadhoey

An Egyptian guy fell and broke his foot, after getting it set a couple of times it hadn't healed.......probably due to the lack of crutches and continuing to walk on it ......solution....they cut it off ...he is very happy as his replacement foot is coming from Germany...WTF


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## Musical

gerhardme1954 said:


> Any situation has two sides. We buy the antibiotics for kids and friends living and working in the UK, as well as back home. Try getting antibiotics out of the NHS...you go from one redicilious situation to the exact opposite. Back home the cost of a doctors consultation (no prescription, no meds) and the price of antibiotics is a ripoff. I am not in favour of meds getting dished up like smarties, but also not cool with red tape preventing you to get it when you need it.


In my experience, NHS GPs in england are far too liberal with antibiotics, they are prescribed almost as frequently as anti-depressants, which are top of the charts...


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## charleen

Sonrisa said:


> I have been laughing so hard with this thread, that my tummy hurts! I guess I should go get some morphine shots now


as long as you save the antibiotics for the common cold like all the egyptians do...then all is good!!!


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## hurghadapat

Musical said:


> In my experience, NHS GPs in england are far too liberal with antibiotics, they are prescribed almost as frequently as anti-depressants, which are top of the charts...


That's why we now have all these superbugs which are resistant to antibiotics......and why do all Egyptians need to go to the pharmacy to take an injection......doesn't matter what is wrong with them this magic injection seems to be a cure all


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## Bon Bon

canuck2010 said:


> An Egyptian colleague had a sore back, he went to the chemist and they gave him an injection of morphine!


 what a sick pharmacist!


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## Bon Bon

They believe its good to be over prevented than to treat an exact illness


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## aykalam

charleen said:


> as long as you save the antibiotics for the common cold like all the egyptians do...then all is good!!!


My daughter (12 yo) is very prone to nose bleeds so my husband (Egyptian) took her to the doctor. Apparently this Dr is "one of the best in Egypt"  Anyhow, hubby and daughter got back from this place with a bag full of meds, including antibiotics. 

When I asked husband why the antibiotics he said, how can I question the Dr? he's the expert and blah blah blah...typical Egyptian, thinks that a Dr is a semi-god and should never be questioned  My point is: I don't give a monkey's how important Dr thinks he is, it's his duty is to explain what and why he's prescribing the stuff.

Just another example of the mentality here


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## MaidenScotland

I want a football referees sponge.. what a killing I could make selling those,


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## kevinthegulf

Bon Bon said:


> They believe its good to be over prevented than to treat an exact illness


They over prescribe because the havent got a f****** clue what is, and they just want a return visit because its a business, 
your health is their business, not their concern


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## RPC

canuck2010 said:


> An Egyptian colleague had a sore back, he went to the chemist and they gave him an injection of morphine!


..... amazing !! ... this is hilarious !


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## Helen Ellis

aykalam said:


> My daughter (12 yo) is very prone to nose bleeds so my husband (Egyptian) took her to the doctor. Apparently this Dr is "one of the best in Egypt"  Anyhow, hubby and daughter got back from this place with a bag full of meds, including antibiotics.
> 
> When I asked husband why the antibiotics he said, how can I question the Dr? he's the expert and blah blah blah...typical Egyptian, thinks that a Dr is a semi-god and should never be questioned  My point is: I don't give a monkey's how important Dr thinks he is, it's his duty is to explain what and why he's prescribing the stuff.
> 
> Just another example of the mentality here


Just to add my two-penneth, my frequent and heavy nose bleeds as a child were stopped by iron tablets! (prescribed after a blood test.) A simple case of a tendency to anaemia, caused the blood vessel weakness and nose bleed, so made me more anaemic, etc etc. It was like taking pep pills the first couple of weeks! 
But back to your point, several friends have complained of the same thing, their husbands accept the word of the Dr without question and never find out what they are being prescribed.


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## bat

Ifall the doctors are the best! And all the hospital the best. How come so many still sick !!


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## mamasue

On a more serious note....I've some good expat friends who lived in Egypt many years.
The husband had a lump under his arm, so they went to supposedly the best hospital in Hurghada.
The doctor there (their 'top specialist') diagnosed a blood clot, and put the guy on blood-thinners.
After several visits,over several months, no improvement... they were thinking of coming back to the UK, but the doctor told him he shouldn't fly.
Eventually, they ignored the 'top specialist' and got on a plane back to the UK.
Turned out he had cancer......it had spread to his lymph node... he's been battling it over a year now.
If he'd been correctly diagnosed, it would have been much simpler!!

I could tell you more stories....some are too scarey!!


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## aykalam

Helen Ellis said:


> Just to add my two-penneth, my frequent and heavy nose bleeds as a child were stopped by iron tablets! (prescribed after a blood test.) A simple case of a tendency to anaemia, caused the blood vessel weakness and nose bleed, so made me more anaemic, etc etc. It was like taking pep pills the first couple of weeks!
> But back to your point, several friends have complained of the same thing, their husbands accept the word of the Dr without question and never find out what they are being prescribed.


Thanks for that. I'm not sure if the iron tablets would help, her nose bleeds are not heavy at all and also the tendency runs in the family: my grandad, mum, myself and now my daughter. I grew out of it, but my mum had to have an operation back in the day. But I will definitely bear your advice in mind and next time we have a check up I'll ask for a blood test to check for anaemia. Probably will do this somewhere back in Europe just to make sure she does not contract something even worse  

re Egyptians revering their doctors: it's definitely ingrained in their brains from a young age but after a pet talk from yours truly, husband has told daughter not to follow course of antibiotics :clap2:


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