Egyptian Surgeons Launch #Egyptians_Are_Capable Campaign to Treat Morbidly Obese Iman Abdulati

The story of morbidly obese 36-year-old Iman Abdulati, who has been bedridden for 25 years as a result of her elephantiasis, continues to develop as she struggles to find treatment here at home. After massive calls circulated on social media with appeals to the Egyptian president to look into the case and grant her the needed treatment at the Maadi Military Hospital, the armed forces' health unit publicised that it would adopt Abdulati's case and cover her whole treatment process with the help of Egyptian doctors, after which no steps were taken and her case was apparently neglected.

Later, Indian bariatric surgeon Dr Muffazal Lakdawala took it upon himself to offer free treatment for Abdulati, after her sister had gotten in touch with him. He managed to get in contact with Indian businessmen and NGOs to secure donations to cover her flight to Mumbai aboard a chartered private jet in addition to her treatment costs. However, according to Indian Express, Abdulati was to receive the needed surgical treatment in India just as soon as she arrives in Mumbai, which required that she acquire an Indian visa from the Indian Embassy in Cairo. India's External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, had intervened after Dr Lakdawala tweeted her to make sure Abdulati was granted the visa after her request had been previously denied once.

According to Business Insider, Abdulati's sister, Shaimaa, confirmed that Iman is getting ready to fly to India for her treatment after having failed to find a solution to her medical condition here in Egypt.

However, in the most recent update on the case, air ambulance services expressed helplessness in being unable to airlift Abdulati given that the doors of the air ambulance were not wide enough for her to pass through. This prompted a group of Egyptian surgeons to launch a pride campaign under the hashtag #Egyptians_are_capable. Speaking to Mid-Day, Dr Mohey Elbanna, Professor of Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery at Ain Shams University, said that the Faculty Dean, Dr. El Meteini, has roped in three senior bariatric surgeons to manage Abdulati's case. In coordination with this initiative, the Egyptian army announced that it would provide logistical help during her transportation from Alexandria to Cairo to undergo the surgery.