General Practitioner/Internist

[ArabRose]

Hi Everyone,
Can anyone here recommend a good GP or internist who is educated in the United States/UK? I live in Maadi and have been to Dr. Ghaly twice but I don't like his services as he did not have good bedside manners and seem all too eager to make money out of me by insisting that I go for all kinds of lab tests even though I told him I have already done it in the United States.
Thanks.

[MaidenScotland]

Lab tests are the norm here, doesn't seem to matter what problem you have they send you to take blood, do a urine and stool test, x rays etc, also they prescribe antibiotics at the drop of a hat. I don't know if this is a cultural thing but I do know that my Egyptian staff only have a headache for thirty minutes and then tell me they need to see a doctor or a cough and they need antibiotics. I of course being made of sterner stuff give them two painkillers and tell them to lie down for an hour.

[ArabRose]

Yeah, he wanted to check my blood group saying that I needed it to apply for my driver's licence. I told him I have already this test prior to coming here and I have a written document from my doctor in the United States. He said he has to verify the results and therefore I have to take another blood test!

I told him I am immune to Hep A and there was no need to take my blood, he said he needed to verify it.

I mean why does he need to verify everything? It's like he didn't trust my doctors in the United States or that he didn't trust me because I am a woman?

Is this a cultural issue here that the doctors never trust what their patient say?

[ArabRose]

My husband received my blood results today - yes, women here are considered too stupid to read medical results so it has to be passed to the husbands. And guess what? I am found to be B- which is totally and completely wrong. I have done numerous blood tests in the past with different doctors in different countries and I have always been O+.

So when did I become B- in Egypt?

Someone got all my blood test mixed up with another patient! And she didn't wear gloves or washed her hands prior/after to handling me!

So can anyone out there recommend me a better doctor than Dr. Ghaly or is he the BEST there is in Egypt!

If he is, then let all Patients beWare!

[MaidenScotland]

Arab Rose any time I go for blood tests I always tell them to wear gloves and I make sure I see them taking the needle out of the packaging, if I don't I tell them they will not do it until I have seen the packaging being broken. They never use gloves here or very rarely, I have been in hospital four times here... although the medical treatment I received was first class the hygiene practice left a lot to be desired. The no gloves thing is there is a wide held belief that there is no H.I.V here same as there are no homosexual Egyptians or a drugs problem, all tosh of course.
I have a friends in Maadi one whose husband is a paediatrician I will email her now and ask her if he can recommend anyone for you

[NZCowboy]

Arab Rose
GP's don't seem part of the medical system here, as you can go straight to the specialist without referral form GP. Most specialists have daily clinics at hospitals/medical centres as well as private offices/clinics.
We use Cleopatra Hospital, Cleopatra st, Salah el Din Square, Heliopolis as they are approved by our medical insurer BUPA. I have reasonable amount of faith in Cleopatra, our twin boys 3.5yrs just had their tonsils removed 10 days ago!
Have visited 4 other hospitals in Heliopolis area, and Cleopatra is the best in my opinion.
MS - yes its a different culture here in regard to medeince, if the Dr doesn't prescribe you medience he can't be any good!! Its scary the overuse of antibiotics etc here, I have family members who are Dr's and they always interested in what meds are prescibed.