Earlier, on Thursday, when Eman was set to leave Saifee Hospital, her sister Shaimaa had allegedly objected to signing certain paperwork.
Taking a U-turn from his statement to the media on Thursday, Maharashtra's Health Minister Dr Deepak Sawant admitted that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had to intervene to ensure that Egyptian national Eman Ahmed's discharge from Saifee hospital and her subsequent journey to VPS Healthcare's Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi was a smooth one.
"There was a lot of chaos and controversy on Thursday and Sushma Swaraj had to intervene to sort the issue out," Sawant, who had earlier downplayed the chaos surrounding Eman's discharge from Saifee Hospital, said.
Reiterating once again the need for a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be put in place, Sawant said, "In instances when patients from abroad come to India for such procedures, we need to lay down guidelines and have an SOP in place. That would ensure that the embassies of both the countries are in the loop and the patients' relatives are informed about all details," he explained.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda, who was in the city for a national conference on developing quality healthcare services, said he agreed with the views of Maharashtra's Health Minister. "SOPs cannot be compromised and it is something that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will look into. We will have to follow SOPs in future cases," Nadda said.
Earlier, on Thursday, when Eman was set to leave Saifee Hospital, her sister Shaimaa had allegedly objected to signing certain paperwork. There were also disagreements between Saifee Hospital and Burjeel Hospital, which both parties subsequently played down. But now, with Sawant's comments, it has come to light that the clashes were of a serious nature. Sawant had been called to solve the matter and he ensured that both parties came to an agreement. Eman then left Saifee Hospital with no security around her and a crowd of media persons descending on her, leading to criticism about issues related to the patient's safety and privacy.
"It is the image of India that gets tarnished in such situations, and it would help if there is a proper memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries, the doctors and relatives of the patients," Sawant added.
Analysis
Representatives from Saifee Hospital and Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, where Eman went, had downplayed disagreements they had had.
But now, Sawant’s comments indicate that the clashes were serious.
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