The Medical Syndicate has published an official statement requesting the Ministry of Health announce the protocol of work inside the quarantine hospitals to ensure the safety and financial rights of doctors.

In its statement, the union called for clarifying the following points:

1- Is PCR carried out for physicians before starting work to ensure their safety and that they will not transmit infection to their colleagues? How will their safety be ensured and that they aren’t infected before returning to work?

2. Is there training in the working system of quarantine hospitals? What are the methods of infection control within these hospitals?

3. Is the physician’s Health Directorate notified so that the doctor is not considered out of work?

4. What is the salary doctors receive for their work?

The Secretary-General of syndicate, Dr. Ehab Taher, said that he received many complaints concerning the conditions of medical teams that work in the quarantine hospitals. Many doctors complained that they had not received the salary the ministry had previously announced, which is estimated at EGP 20,000 ($1,271). They were told that people in direct contact with infected patients will receive EGP 4,900 ($310) and people in indirect contact will receive EGP 2,450 ($155).

Others complained that PCR analysis was not performed before they left the quarantine hospitals, and the ministry asked them to make do with isolating at home.