Update (8th of April, 2019)
The power of social media succeeded in saving the future of the young dentist. On April 7, Minister of Health Hala Zayed paid a visit to El Qasr El Einy, in order to check on Salah and support with his family.
Upon his family and social media’s requests; she confirmed that the 25-year-old will indeed travel to Germany. And get his treatment at the expense of the country.
Moreover, the official speaker for the Ministry Khaled Megahed, confirmed that Zayed will make sure Salah gets a Masters Degree in Business Administration.
The Minister also talked to Dr. Sahar Helmy, the Commissioning Director into adjusting his official workplace to be at the Technical Office of the Minister of Health.
Original Article (Posted on 5th of April, 2019)
On March 31st, 25-year-old Egyptian dentist Mohamed Salah had a horrific train accident while traveling from Cairo to El Gharbeya governorate. The accident resulted in the amputation of his right arm and left foot.
It did not take long before Salah’s friends took it to twitter and asked for donations to help Salah receive the medical treatment he needs.
In just a few hours, Salah was a trending topic on Twitter with many users donating, and asking key public figures to help Salah. Donations are available through bank transfers and Vodafone Cash.
We contacted one of the phone numbers listed in the Vodafone cash donation methods to know the full story, and subtly try to figure out the credibility of the situation.
The number belonged to one of his colleagues, Dr. Haggar Magdi, who helped us with the information.
After the accident, Salah was immediately transferred to El-Mahala Public Hospital – his birth city – then to another in El-Mansoura. As we speak, Salah now lies at the accidents and burns department at El Qasr El Einy Hospital.
According to the medical reports as well as the words of his colleague Dr. Magdi, his condition is very critical, with a very high possibility of his left hand also being amputated as a result of the shocks.
The Power of Social Media:
Obviously, the doctor’s future is at risk here for many reasons. First of all, he’s yet to be officially employed since he’s a fresh graduate from the Faculty of Dentistry, El-Mansoura University.
According to his colleagues, the 25-year-old was on the wait for his official assignment right before the tragic event went down.
If his condition remains the same, he will have no hope in receiving any pensions or even being involved in any future administrative work.
In order to save his left hand – his only hope at actually working – from facing the same fate as the right one, a huge amount of money is reportedly needed since such complicated procedures cannot be performed in Egypt at the moment.
Therefore Mohamed Salah’s family, friends and colleagues are spreading the word on the internet trying to collect donations and calling for help.
They even initiated the hashtag:
#Support_Doctor_Mohamed_Salah started trending on Twitter so that more people would see and help. In addition to those who have already started reaching out to celebrities like Naguib Sawiris, Mohamed Heneidy and Amr Adib and mentioning them in their posts.
Other than trying to save his left hand from amputation, Salah definitely needs artificial limbs which will also cost a fortune.
Many people have quickly started responding to the hashtag and shared posts about the doctor everywhere, even those who have no idea who he is or what he does. And this is where the power of the internet really shows. It’s magic and this is how it should always be used!
We wish Salah a speedy recovery and we also hope he gets the help he needs! If you’re considering donating, please be cautious.
