Tuesday 02/Sep/2025 – 04:32 PM
The Ministry of Health and Population announced, through Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the ministry’s spokesperson, controls and standards related to the definition of emergency medical cases and the mechanisms of hospital dealings with them, stressing that the right to urgent health care is an inherent right that is not related to material ability, nationality or any other considerations.
Standards for defining emergency medical conditions and patient rights in emergency departments
Abdel Ghaffar explained that the emergency medical condition is any severe condition that constitutes a direct threat to the patient’s life, one of his organs, or his physical functions, and requires immediate medical intervention to prevent death, permanent disability or serious complications.
He pointed out that the most prominent basic characteristics of emergency cases include:
1. The threat of life such as heart stop or breathing, severe bleeding, or shock caused by a severe blood pressure.
2. A member threat or function such as stroke, heart attack, spinal cord injury, or sudden vision loss.
3. Sudden intensity that appears rapidly such as acute chest pain, severe shortness of breath, or cramps.
4. The necessity of urgent intervention without delay in providing treatment.
Abdel Ghaffar also reviewed common examples of emergency situations, including: road accidents, suffocation or severe breath, severe poisoning, heavy bleeding, severe burns, and cases of loss of consciousness or coma.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health confirmed that hospitals, whether public or private, have basic duties towards emergency cases, which are:
Initial acceptance and assessment: It is prohibited to refuse to receive any patient who requests help in the emergency department, and an initial initial examination is provided to determine the degree of the seriousness of the condition.
The duty to provide treatment and stability: If it is proven that the condition is urgent and life -threatening, the immediate treatment necessary for the patient’s stability must be provided without waiting for the payment of pre -approval fees or approvals.
Insistential transfer: The patient may not be transferred to another hospital before his condition is stabilized, and the transfer must be carried out through an equipped ambulance and in advance arrangement with the future hospital.
In the event of non -emergency: If it turns out that the condition is not emergency, the commitment to free treatment ends, and the patient may be transferred to outpatient clinics or primary health care while providing the necessary medical advice.
At the end of his statements, he stressed that “the emergency situation means an immediate threat to life or a vital organ, and the duty of the first hospital is to save the patient’s life through immediate assessment and the necessary treatment without any discrimination, a commitment to the right of human life and urgent health care.”
