ArpitGarg's Weblog

We have been seeing a story unfold last few days about Eman Ahmed and her sister Shaimaa Selim. For those who might not know, Eman is the patient who was flown in from Egypt for treatment of obesity. Dr. Muffazal Lakadwala and his Centre for Obesity and Digestive Surgery made it known to the media and the whole world that they would be treating the patient free of cost and spending crores in the process. And headlines they got. The heaviest person on Earth and an Indian surgeon to the rescue.

Things have degenerated all too quickly with the Eman’s accusing the doctors of negligence. All hell has broken loose. In major news papers, all I am seeing is character assassination of ‘ungrateful Egyptian sisters’. How the God’s own avatar, Dr. Lakadwala and his team did all the free service and now they are being blamed. And I am amazed how Indian media is not even ready to show Shaimaa’s side.

First of all it was all done not for philanthropy but as a PR stunt. For philanthropy we have enough problems in India to spend money and resources on. But the headlines ‘world’s heaviest woman’ can give to a hospital and a doctor, nothing else can. As about ‘free service’, I consider it advertisement budget, nothing else. It was an investment to get paying patients from all across the world at Dr. Lakadwala’s footsteps.

Coming to the character assassination of Eman’s sister. She is being touted as an ungrateful snob. Why ungrateful? Why now say that it was all free service? Why not treat her as another paying patient? Were the similar reservations made by a paying patient, would we have seen similar character assassination? Such PR stunts have their own downsides and one such downside we are seeing now. Seems the medical team was all too ready to shower in the glory of success and reap millions that follow, but are coming out as sore losers. Like rug has been snapped from under them.

I am not saying that its all Doctors fault, family could be at fault too. But the way character assassination is being done; it’s pathetic and portrays a dull picture of our hospitality. What happened to all ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’? These are two sisters in a foreign land. Shaimaa is worried about her sister Eman. Given the condition Eman is in, I know a lot many of my fellow citizens who would have abandoned their own sisters long back. Don’t we know what a lot many of us do to their parents in old age? But Shaimaa has stood alongside her sister, fighting for her.

She was promised a miracle by the publicity hungry doctors and now she is worried about deteriorating health of her poor sister. If she is blaming negligence, instead of investigating the claim just like it would have been done for any paying patient, whole medical team is busy character assassinating the sisters. Rich, isn’t it. Sad part is media is playing the ball too.

All I can say is Govt. should frame some rules to regulate such publicity stunts which put whole nation’s image at stake.