A traveler who spent eight days in an Egyptian hospital is urging Brits to be grateful for their fantastic health service.
Doreen Johnson, 68, was 10 days into a world cruise to celebrate her recovery from breast cancer when she fell and broke her leg in three places. She described her experience that followed as traumatic and humbling.
“We were on shore in Alexandria and the road was very, very busy with traffic. There were roadworks and I slipped and broke my femur. I had no use of my leg,” Doreen, of Leyland Road, Southport, said.
A local man called an ambulance for her and husband Charles, 76, which took more than an hour to arrive. “It was full of sand and dirt and there was already a patient in it and all their family,” Doreen said. “I was in absolute agony and they put me on a piece of hardboard to lift me into the ambulance. They had no painkillers and going over speed bumps was just awful.”
Doreen was taken to a public hospital an hour away, where her blonde hair and fair complexion made her the centre of attention. “I had all kinds of people round me, sitting on the bed and showing me babies,” Doreen recalled. “There must have been about 30 people round me at one point. And the hospital had nothing. There was no soap, the toilets didn##t flush, there were no bandages or painkillers. “They took me for an X-ray and the room was dirtier than a garage and the equipment so antiquated. But the kindness of all those people wanting to help me was unbelievable.”
Doreen was carried around the hospital on a sheet with knots tied in the corners by young girls. Her leg was stabilised by a hand-made frame of mild steel. “I was absolutely petrified of having to have an operation in that hospital,” Doreen said.
Within a few hours the British Consulate arrived to help the couple, arranging for their transfer to a private hospital and helping Charles retrieve their luggage, get money and apply for an extended visa.
“This is also a warning to people never to go away without insurance, because if I hadn##t had it I would not have got the operation,” Doreen said. She endured a four-hour procedure to mend her broken leg with metal rods and 12 screws, performed by one of the country##s top surgeons.
The couple also had to ensure the metal frame was sent back to the public hospital, as it was worth so much to them.
“It was such a difference to go from the boat, with everyone in ball gowns talking about how many cruises they had been on, to the hospital where people had nothing at all but still wanted to help,” Doreen said.
“I will never go on another cruise. I was screaming in agony in the hospital but I never cried, but when I think about how little those people have I cry for them.” The couple bought a walking frame for the hospital before they left and will be sending a parcel of soap, bandages and other items.
Doreen said the experience, although awful, has been a positive one as it has made her appreciate everything she has. She is now recuperating at home. (Southport Champion)