Egypt’s prosecutor general has opened an investigation into allegations that medical malpractice played a part in the death of veteran journalist Wael El Ebrashy.
The journalist's widow, Sahaar El Ebrashy, on Thursday filed a petition with the country’s top prosecutors and its medical association, accusing one of her husband’s doctors of malpractice that led his condition to worsen over the course of his months-long treatment.
El Ebrashy died last Saturday aged 58, due to complications caused by Covid-19, which he had diagnosed in late 2020.
In her petition, Ms El Ebrashy accuses Dr Sherif Abbas, a prominent hepatologist and gastroenterologist, of administering an unlisted experimental drug to her ailing husband, all the while making claims that he had invented the treatment and it would cure the illness in a week.
“A medical mistake on the part of his home isolation doctor is what caused his condition to worsen to such a degree,” Ms El Ebrashy tearfully told a local television station on the sidelines of her husband’s funeral, “It was also why it took them so long to treat him.”
Throughout the week following El Ebrashy’s death, his widow spoke to local media urging people not to blindly trust their doctors.
Her statements were met with a heated response from the doctors' association, which said on Tuesday: “While we empathise with the sadness and pain of loss that has swept the late journalist’s family, the syndicate denounces and completely rejects having its doctors attacked as a means for someone to vent out their emotions.”
However, on Saturday, Dr Abbas phoned into a popular talk show and admitted that he had given El Ebrashy a drug called Sofosbuvir. The drug is sold under the brand name Sovaldi and used to treat hepatitis C, he said.
Saying that he never gave El Ebrashy any experimental or unlisted medications, Dr Abbas told talk show host Amr Adib on Saturday that Sovaldi was also administered to five million Egyptians. It has no side effects and is generally safe, he said.
The doctor said that, while he knew the drug was outside the health ministry’s protocol for Covid-19, he had read an international study which proved its efficacy in treating a wide range of viral infections.
The Egyptian Medical Syndicate said on Friday that it was open to receiving any petitions or complaints regarding El Ebrashy’s case, and urged prosecutors to carry out their investigations, adding that Dr Abbas was ready to defend himself.
Meanwhile, El Ebrashy’s widow’s claims were supported last week by another of his doctors, who posted the journalist’s test results on Facebook, saying that they conclusively determined that the use of Dr Abbas’s treatment exacerbated his lung condition and worsened his pulmonary fibrosis which was officially ruled the cause of death by the authorities.
El Ebrashy's widow also alleged in her petition that Dr Abbas smoked heavily while treating the sick journalist in his bedroom.
El Ebrashy was admitted to hospital in late 2020 with Covid-19, where he remained until March 2021. He was released to home care for months until his death on January 9.
While he was receiving treatment at home, the talk show host said his health was improving, though he remained off the air for months. His widow later revealed that his condition had been steadily worsening since his return from the ICU in March 2021, which is also when he began being treated by Dr Abbas, she said.
El Ebrashy was buried in his home town of Sherbeen, in Egypt’s Daqahliyah province.
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
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5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15
Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered
Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered
Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered
Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered
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Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
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Hobbies: Writing and running
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The specs
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Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
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match info
Maratha Arabians 138-2
C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15
Team Abu Dhabi 114-3
L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17
Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs
MATCH INFO
Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:
Al Ain 2 Al Duhail 4
Second leg:
Tuesday, Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Kick off 7.30pm
England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Ben White
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling
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- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
