Shifting Eman: UAE hospital official alleges non-cooperation

While the Egyptian national Eman Ahmed flew to the United Arab Emirates this evening, an official of Abu Dhabi hospital where she would be receiving further treatment alleged that the Saifee Hospital here was not cooperative.
Eman, believed to be the heaviest woman in the world before she was admitted to Saifee Hospital here for weight reduction treatment, would now move into VPS Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi.
"Saifee Hospital refused to give DAMA (discharge against medical advice) certificate which has to be given to every patient whenever demanded," alleged Shajir Gaffar, chief executive of VPS Health Group.
Gaffar was here to coordinate Eman's shifting.

He further alleged that Saifee Hospital also refused 'bed-to-bed' transfer, wherein a patient is lifted from her/his bed to the bed provided by the new hospital in the hospital room itself.
"Our bed waited with the ambulance at the gate of the hospital building because they insisted on getting her down using their own bed," Gaffar alleged.

When contacted, Dr Muffazal Lakdawala, who treated Eman at Saifee Hospital, told PTI that the hospital followed "normal protocols".
"All these issues were discussed in the meeting yesterday with entire team from VPS and they had agreed on all above but they reneged...We followed our normal hospital protocols as we do for all our patients," said Lakdawala, a bariatric surgeon.

Lakdawala had said earlier that Eman's weight was now down to 170 kg from 498 kg when she arrived here in February.
Eman's sister Shaimaa had earlier alleged that Eman did not receive proper treatment at Saifee, the charge which Dr Lakdawala and others at the Mumbai hospital denied.