Egyptian prosecutors on Sunday ordered the continued detention of a pharmacist over the deaths of two girls she treated with antibiotic injections.
The prosecutor general said a preliminary investigation determined that sisters Sajda and Iman died of complications after they were given the medication without an allergy test.
The pharmacist was arrested two days last Wednesday.
Relatives told local television that the girls, who lived in the northern city of Alexandria, had been suffering from a severe case of flu and a doctor prescribed an antibiotic.
The first dose was administered after the the girls were given an allergy test, relatives said.
But the family could not find a second dose of the medication.
A pharmacy in their home district said the drug was difficult to find, but there was an alternative that would be viable.
The girls’ mother said she agreed to allow the pharmacist to administer the alternative but voiced concerns that an allergy test was not carried out first.
She said the pharmacist assured her that a test would not be necessary because both medications had the the same active ingredient.
But the girls experienced breathing difficulties and lost consciousness after receiving the injections.
Their mother said the pharmacist advised her to take them home and that they were probably dizzy because they had not eaten.
She took the girls to a hospital but their condition grew worse and they died soon afterwards.
The incident has reignited a national debate about the need to tighten regulations on pharmacies.
It is common for pharmacists to administer injections, despite protocols stating that they should only be given by a licensed medical professional.
Irene Saeed, a member of parliament’s health affairs committee, has presented a draft law to ban this practice.
“It is now more necessary than ever to have legislation that eliminates the chaos of dispensing medicine without a prescription and forbids giving injections inside pharmacies once and for all, especially after the incident of the death of Iman and Sajda in Alexandria,” she said.
Parliament in February approved amendments to a 1955 law that increased the penalties for practising pharmacy without the necessary qualifications, including a minimum of two years in prison and a fine of at least one million Egyptian pounds ($50,860).
Mohamed El Shafei, chairman of the Alexandria pharmacists’ syndicate, said on Wednesday that some pharmacists did not administer allergy tests unless it said to do so on the prescription.
He said the girls’ doctor did not request an allergy test.
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
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Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
HOW TO WATCH
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The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
