Social media in Egypt was abuzz with the story of the death of a young Egyptian pharmacist and her unborn child due to the repercussions of her COVID-19 infection, particularly after her request for sick leave was rejected despite her difficult health condition. Israa Sami wrote in her last post on Facebook: "I am dying. Indeed, we belong to Allah and indeed to Him we shall return," which garnered significant interaction.
Israa’s story raised questions, especially about what happened to her in her final days. She had been working as a pharmacist in a hospital in the city of Al-Zakazik, located in the Sharqia governorate, north of Cairo. Criticism on social media focused on bureaucratic and routine procedures that do not consider the conditions of employees like Israa.
Many expressed sorrow over the loss of a pharmacist in the early stages of her life, with a fetus that had not yet seen life. Several of her colleagues announced her passing on their personal Facebook accounts and shared testimonials about her character, noting how kind and gentle she was with all her friends.
Ibrahim Rifaat, an Egyptian pharmacist who knew Israa personally, stated: "Israa was very active and a professional in her work as a pharmacist in recent times." He added that she had posted multiple times about her condition and the hospital’s refusal to grant her leave, emphasizing that under the post-COVID law, pregnant women can easily obtain leave due to their significantly weakened immunity.
Islam Abdu, a colleague of Israa, mentioned that she had worked with him for a considerable time at the hospital before leaving. He remarked in an interview with Sky News Arabia that “Israa had high morals and respect that would fill anyone who interacted with her, even by chance, with sorrow over her passing.”
In a post by a user named Dena Jabir, she wrote: "Indeed, we belong to Allah and indeed to Him we shall return. May God have mercy on you, Israa, and your fetus. You were a respectable and honorable doctor, and we bear witness that you were a great friend and colleague with noble character, good manners, religion, and knowledge." She continued: "May God have mercy on you, my dear, forgive your sins, and strengthen you in questioning," urging the pharmacists’ syndicate to take necessary actions, and the public prosecutor to investigate the incident.
In a brief response, Dr. Hisham Masoud, the Undersecretary of Health in Sharqia, commented on the incident saying, "May God have mercy on her and treat her well, but neither I nor anyone else could be stubborn against an employee seeking leave." He explained that she applied for exceptional leave on August 23 because she was pregnant and obtained it from the directorate, but he did not know what happened with health insurance.
Sky News Arabia contacted Dr. Jamal Salama, the director of the health insurance branch in Sharqia, who revealed details about the incident, surprising those circulating information on social media. Salama stated that the public prosecutor in Sharqia requested a response from health insurance, which the directorate sent to the prosecutor's office. He denied claims made by social media about employee stubbornness regarding the deceased pharmacist. He confirmed that they sent the vacation committee report to the public prosecutor concerning the incident.
Salama indicated that the pharmacist received her requested leave on the same day, August 23. He emphasized that the directorate sent its report to the prosecutor and regarding the details of the incident, he stated: "Someone came to obtain a leave, and they received it, that’s all there is to it." He further clarified that the documentation provided by the pharmacist contained numerous errors, which the leave committee at the directorate overlooked, stating that they sent the documents to the prosecutor.
