You have to be healthy to dear to be sick. . .

By Kirsten Nour Namskau

If you have not study medicine yourself . . . you better be healthy when you are in Egypt.
After several experiences with doctors, I have given up and trust my own judgement first of all.
Thanks God, I have never had any serious illness or accident, but if something happened . . . I have a doctor in Israel I am going to go to.
My first experience with a doctor here in Egypt, was 15 years ago . . . .
I didn’t feel sick, only had some chough because of the pollution here, but my neighbour thought I was sick and had flu.
So . . . she immediately phoned her brother who was a “doctor”. He didn’t know me nor had he seen me, but over the phone he prescribed me some medication, without my knowing.
The next day, my neighbour came to me with a plastic-bag full of medicine . . . . 25 different kinds of medications.
I looked thorough them . . . one for coughing, one in the case I had ear-ache, one in the case I had fever, One in the case I had head-ache, one to prevent pneumonia, one . . . . .
I looked up at my friend . . . . “What kind of doctor are you brother?” I asked
“Gynaecologist” she answered . . . .
Every day, I took one pill of each and threw in the toilet . . . and everybody was happy.
Another time, I really had some trouble with my stomach. I asked around to find a good doctor. One friend of mine, who are in the upper social class and is the type: ‘ only the best is good enough’ recommended me to go to her doctor.
I went . . . He examined me . . . then he said: “Who is with you?”
I replied: “No one. I am single, live alone and come alone.”
He said: “So then, who shall I talk to? “
“Me” I answered: “You tell me what is wrong, prescribe the medication and tell me how to use it and I take it myself.”
He said: “No, I’m sorry. We don’t do it like that here in Egypt. You have to come with someone I can explain things for and whom I can give the medication to.”
I asked: “Do you mean that whoever shall medicate me without my knowing with medication I don’t know or for what reason I take?”
He continued without listening to me: “Don’t you have any male neighbour or friend . . . it has to be a man . . .not a woman.”
I asked: “Why a man?”
He replied: “How can I tell a woman?”
I said: “Do you mean, that whoever man is good enough. If I go down at the street and stop the first man passing . . . that’s good enough?”
He said: “Yes, that is good enough. He can tell any of your neighbours . . . . I can wait.”
I went down and never returned back.
Another time . . . I thought it was time to take this once-a-year gynaecological examination we women use to take.
I went to a recommended doctor. As we just were finishing all the talking, he told me to go and dress off and put on a paper-gown.
As I passed him, I saw him start to masturbate . . . .
I never dressed off . . .
Another experience was a couple of years ago . . . I had these hot-flashes following the menopause. With hot-flashes in the middle of the summer with + 45C (157.5 F) in the shadow, it became too much for me, so I hoped I could get something for the hot-flashes at least.
I went to a doctor and asked if it was something I could take for the hot-flashes related to menopause.
He said: “Yes, I will prescribe something good for you.”
He gave me a piece of paper and sent me to the pharmacy. I gave the note to the guy . . . . and he gave me the prescribed medication . . . . sun-screen ! ! ! !
I went back to the doctor and said: “Is this an insulting or is it rather that you are not a doctor at all???”
He looked at me . . . confused, and said: “Madam, women in Egypt don’t have menopause.”
I looked at him and said: “Doctor . . . . Do you know the name of what we have between our ears?”
He looked at me . . . thinking . . . and said: “ No . . “
I tried to hold courses in massage, here in Egypt and was looking for books in anatomy. It doesn’t exist. After visiting all the book-shops in Cairo I went to the University hospital “Kasr El Aini Hospital” and asked a doctor: “What kinds of books do the medical students use?”
He guided me to a special shop inside the hospital. I went and looked through the books.
Not one single book had a picture of a whole human . . . . after asking why, I was told that it was not aesthetical. The books they used are the same books we in Scandinavia use in level 6-7-8 secondary school.
So . . . taken after the medical level of education here in Egypt . . . I, myself am a much better doctor that 80% of those in practice. . . .
Because I have study medicine . . . .