Doctors hit out at Eman Ahmed's sister questioning her weight loss

Her sister claims that false claims have been made about her weight reducing to 262 kg from 500 kg

One of the doctors treating Egyptian woman Eman Ahmed for obesity at Saifee Hospital here refused her sister's allegation on Tuesday that the doctors have made "false claims" about her weight loss of 262 kg from 500 kg.

In an online video, Eman's sister Shaimaa Selim had said recently that Dr Muffazal Lakdawala, the bariatric surgeon who is leading the team of doctors treating Eman, has made "false claims" about her complete recovery and weight loss.

Lakdawala had on April 11 said Eman so far has lost 262 kgs during the treatment.

Refuting Shaimaa's allegations, Chief Operating Officer Huzaifa Shehabi of Saifee Hospital today hinted that the Egyptian woman's weight has now come down to less than 200 kg.

Addressing a press conference at the hospital today, Dr Aparna Bhaskar, who is part of the specialists' team treating Eman, said Eman's sister may be criticising doctors to extend her stay at the hospital.

"I believe Eman's family does not want to take the responsibility of her further treatment. And they probably do not want to take her back for a long time. I do not think they have confidence that Eman will get good care in Egypt.

"Obviously, the treatment here is good. By hook or crook, they (family) want to keep her here," she said.

Eman is being treated by a team of around 15 doctors led by Lakdawala since she was flown in here from Alexandria on February 11 this year.

Stung by Shaimaa's claims, Bhaskar had said yesterday she was withdrawing from the team treating the Egyptian woman.

Asked about Shaimaa's claims that Eman has not yet fully recovered, Bhaskar said, "I am her doctor and I am saying it on record that she is 75% better than what she was.

"She will never be able to walk because she has deformed legs. Otherwise, her kidney and liver parameters are fine. Her heart beats are fine. In fact, she is an example for obese people in the world who are scared to undergo such treatment.

"She was a high-risk patient, but she has recovered and she could be an inspiration to obese people in the world. We do not have any issue with Eman, but we do have an issue with her sister because of what she has done to us," added Bhaskar.

Saifee Hospital COO Shehabi said, "There must be some over-expectations (by Eman's family). There is a language and culture barrier while communicating with Eman's family. Her health is good and the decision to discharge her in a period less than six months was unanimously taken by the team of doctors treating her."

Responding to a query if Eman is being released prematurely, Shehabi said, "A doctor knows whether patient has recovered or not. Her recovery has been miraculous. Why would a team of doctors hold her back here when she has recovered?"

Eman underwent CT scan at the hospital on Tuesday.

The procedure was pending for long as the scan machine can take the maximum weight up to 204 kg.

When asked about the exact weight of Eman, the COO evaded a direct reply.

"If we can perform her CT scan it means her weight is less than 204 kg. It also means that her sister's claim that Eman's current weight is more than 200 kg is misleading," the COO said.

According to sources, the doctors had told Eman's family that they would let them know about the future course of treatment after getting her CT scan report.

It is, however, not known whether they had specified the exact date for Eman's discharge from the hospital.

In March, Eman underwent her first bariatric surgery in which doctors reduced her stomach size by two-third. Her genetic tests show she has a rare gene mutation that cannot be cured through surgery.