The coma incident of a girl after receiving a counterfeit injection in an Engineer District clinic sparked widespread anger and concerns about the spread of unlicensed clinics practicing medical activities without real oversight, and citizens impersonating doctors.

In this context, Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud Maqbal, a consultant in gastroenterology, hepatology, and endoscopy and former member of the Cairo Doctors Syndicate council, warned about the dangers of this phenomenon, confirming that it directly threatens citizens’ lives and reveals a deeper crisis related to the licensing mechanisms of medical facilities in Egypt.

Dr. Maqbal explained that licensed doctors face severe difficulties in obtaining clinic licenses, as they must pass through multiple authorities starting from the syndicate, the General Administration of Private Practice, environmental and district licenses, along with complex requirements such as the unit being registered administratively and not residential, in addition to paying large fees to each authority.

He pointed out the clear paradox where specialized doctors face restrictions in licensing procedures, while non-doctors and impostors open their facilities and practice without real oversight from competent authorities.

He added that disasters occur in some medical fields, especially nutrition and obesity clinics, many of which lack supervision by qualified medical doctors, as well as some cosmetic and dermatology centers operated by non-specialists or sometimes not doctors at all, in addition to promoters of herbal and non-medical treatments.

Dr. Maqbal confirmed that controlling this chaos is not difficult if the goal of licensing medical facilities is to protect citizens rather than merely collecting fees from doctors. He stressed the need to unify licensing under one authority, simplify procedures and requirements, and reduce fees imposed on doctors.

He also called for the creation of an official website allowing citizens to verify doctors’ licenses and specialties before visiting clinics, considering the current situation tightens restrictions on qualified and specialized doctors while allowing non-doctors to practice freely and without oversight.