Hospital staff say sister forced Eman to be hostile to them
MUMBAI:Thirty-six year old Egyptian Eman Ahmed, who will soon fly to Abu Dhabi for further weight-loss treatment, has left her caregivers and nurses here with mixed emotions.
Ahmed, who supposedly weighed 500kg before her bariatric surgery, was all smiles when she arrived in Mumbai on February 11. Nearly three months later, she no longer greets her nurses with a smile. “She used to give us flying kisses and wish us good morning, but not anymore,” said Tasneem Fidvi, head of administration
Eman’s caregivers said that her sister, Shaimaa Selim, ‘coached’ Eman to be hostile towards the hospital staff.
Dr Sameer Al Ghamdi, a fellow in Dr Muffazal Lakhdawala’s team who understands Arabic, said Selim ‘believed’ that her sister would have started walking after her surgery in Mumbai. “She is upset that once Eman returns to Egypt, nobody will help her. Selim has asked Eman not talk or smile at the hospital staff,” he said.
“For the past week, Eman has been unresponsive. She does not wish anyone and does not follow instructions during physiotherapy sessions,” said Shirley Koshy, nurse in-charge, whose only job for three months was to take care of Eman at Saifee Hospital. She says she hasn’t visited her ailing mother in Kerala who is undergoing chemotherapy, just to take care of Eman.
The team added that they also took special care of Selim, who has accused the doctors of lying about Eman’s weight loss.
When HT reached out to Selim, she said she didn’t want to talk to the media. SHIFTING EMAN TO ABU DHABI WILL TAKE TIME Meanwhile it will take a day or two for Eman to be shifted to Abu Dhabi for further treatment, said officials from Saifee Hospital. While a medical evacuation team visited Eman on Saturday, they are yet to submit the date and time of her departure.
“An air ambulance team visited Eman on Saturday. But, they are yet to tell us when she will be shifted,” said Dr Aprna Govil Bhaskar, section head, bariatric surgery, Saifee Hospital.
Doctors from Saifee Hospital said they were preparing for the transfer of their celebrity patient. Five folders containing 10,000 medical records will be given to experts from VPS Healthcare.
“She will need a chartered aircraft. We are examining the best options,” said Sanet Meyer, director, Medevac, VPS Healthcare. Meyer said a special hydraulic stretcher had been imported from Italy to transport Eman. Officials are in the process of looking for an ambulance to take her from the hospital.