On Sunday, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate issued a statement, hours after the arrest of a pharmacist known as the “curcumin doctor”, who became famous for years in Egypt by selling controversial medical prescriptions through satellite channels and social networking sites.
On Saturday, the Egyptian authorities arrested Ahmed Abu Al-Nasr, on charges of possessing and promoting herbal materials and medicines of unknown origin, with the intent of making illegal profits.
In its statement, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate commented on the arrest of Abu Al-Nasr, “who worked for several years to provide medical advice and information and promote the sale of medical prescriptions to citizens via satellite channels and social networking sites, claiming that these therapeutic prescriptions, including what the accused called “curcumin”. It was licensed by the Ministry of Health, contrary to the truth, which caused harm to the health of citizens and was a cause for questions and complaints from the Medical Syndicate and those interested in health affairs.
The Egyptian Medical Syndicate thanked the Egyptian security services for responding to the complaints of the medical community and citizens and arresting the accused, noting that “the so-called Ahmed Abu Al-Nasr is not a doctor, his name is not registered in the doctors’ syndicate records, and he is not licensed to practice medicine.”
In statements to Al-Watan newspaper, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Population, Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, indicated that the Ministry of Health, represented by the Free Licensing Department, submitted a number of complaints against pharmacist Ahmed Abu Al-Nasr.
Abdel Ghaffar explained that “many complaints were submitted against the accused, in the prosecution, as well as with the localities, and more than one pharmacy was closed to him through the Free Licensing Department, for violating the rules, not obtaining licenses, and possessing unknown materials and medicines.”
According to “Al-Watan”, the Works Investigations arrested Abu Al-Nasr, after complaints accusing him of fraud and deceiving patients, and claiming via satellite channels that he was the first certified specialist from the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population for herbal treatment, contrary to the truth, and legal measures were taken against him.
While the Egyptian Medical Syndicate called on the various media outlets to abide by the law and the media honor charter, and to make their platforms available to present health services and medical information only to specialists, and after inquiring from the concerned professional unions.