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Saturday 5 September 2009

What About All the Rest?

I don't know how to say the following without sounding like a complete asshole but I'll try.
I think it's awesome, amazing and mind-blowing that the Children's Cancer Hospital (57357) is enjoying this tremendous amount of support, both moral and financial.
It sort of bugs me though that a great many other hospitals in Egypt that are just as needy (if not more) are not getting nearly as much attention. It seem that somehow, the massive media campaign aimed at promoting the CCH's efforts has made it more well...fashionable to direct donations there compared to other hospital.s
My own personal experience is limited to El-Demerdash (a.k.a. Ain Shams University Hospital), but I don't think I'm being pessimistic in thinking that it's only one among many hospitals that need serious financial support just to stay afloat.
I go to work every day and I see this crumbling establishment trying to pose as a hospital that receives a ridiculous amount of patients each day complaining from every ailment imaginable under the sun.
As awful and life-shattering as cancer is, there are also many other awful diseases out there that need so much to treat or even to diagnose properly. I've witnessed young residents with my own eyes pay for patient's treatments out of their own pockets and let me tell you, their pockets are by no means deep.
It's not just money either. Blood is more commonly unavailable than not and sometimes it can make all the difference.
So is there anyone out there willing and powerful enough to advertise the needs of other heavily pressured hospitals in Egypt so that all those generous Egyptian philanthropists (and for once, I'm not being sarcastic) can be made aware of other places where their help is badly needed?

8 comments:

Mohammad said...

So now our hospitals will rely on charity? do you really think it's a good idea? It might be a good idea for a one or two institutions like 75375 hospital (even the name suggests how it was founded and what it relies on) but a whole health system relying on charity?

can we sink lower than that?

The Legal Dealer said...

I'm not talking about total and utter reliance.People have always donated to all kinds of hospitals all over the world. I'm just surprised that all charitable donations seem to be directed towards one institution over all the rest.
I'm not saying all those hospitals which aren't getting enough financial support from the government should depend on charity, but I think it would definitely give them a boost.

Mohammad said...

to be frank, I wouldn't. There's corruption for one thing, and lack of managerial professionalism for another.

people like to donate their money to institutions that appear successful, not hopeless. It's sort of betting on the winning horse thing, or maybe putting their money where they are surer it's gonna be spent efficiently (not on an AC for the manager's office for example)

The Legal Dealer said...

You've got a point there, to be honest.
I think that's something that plagues all charitable organizations in Egypt (at varying degrees).

Nihal Nour said...

Tell me about it.

I was just thinking about the Children Cancer hospital and I was, just as you are, amazed at how it was built and is actually up and running while relying only on donations. But I was thinking about the "emotional blackmail" you see in the ads of the hospitals in specific!

*A 5 year old child with cancer. Innocent and adorable as he is, but seems depressed and in great pain and of course, bold.

"Hi! My name is Mohamed and I have cancer!"

Black and white picture, a sad voice commenting "Mohamed has been suffering from cancer for a while but thanks to your support, he got better and he will keep getting better! Donate to 57357."

I sometimes think this is child abuse. For God's sake people, don't use children that way. What they've is more than enough. Never thought about how the kid MIGHT feel embarrassed of himself when he grows up and sees that some people used him to beg for donations on TV and gave him candy to shut up!

It's just sad.

This hospital is, actually, the last one in Egypt that needs promotion or advertisement in the 1st place. All people know about it already. Now let's move on. There ARE and will BE other important institutions to donate for.

The Legal Dealer said...

Nihal:

Emotional blackmail is a perfect description, indeed. But if the public needs images to "pull at their heartstrings" in order to make donations, then they need to know that there's certainly a lot more in Egypt from where that came from.

Wild at Heart said...

Dear I'm so excited you're blogging again, and I absolutely agree with you. I also add that if I were a celebrity I would say it out loud that I refuse to make campaigns for this hospital so long as the ppl who imported carcinogenic (is that the right word?) pesticide are out of jail or away from 3ashmawy.

The Legal Dealer said...

Aww, thanks!

Yeah, you'd think it would be easier to kill the source. But things are never easy around here, are they?