What happens when you need medical attention Sahel? You’ve finally settled into vacation mode on the beach when your kid develops a high fever, you sprain your ankle playing racket, or your partner comes down with really nasty food poisoning. A few years ago, any one of these common scenarios would have probably warranted a drive back to Cairo — or, at the very least, frantic phone calls to friends who know someone (who in turn knows someone) who knows a good doctor who happens to be vacationing nearby…

You can now get good medical care in Sahel: What used to be a healthcare no man’s land without clinics, hospitals, or qualified doctors has transformed into a destination where patients have access to some of the country’s top medical professionals — who are indeed vacationing nearby — and also holding regular office hours at private clinics. During the months of July and August, you can find everything from well-staffed polyclinics, to diagnostic labs, dental clinics, optometrists, and physiotherapists — to say nothing of and aestheticians who can give you a botox and filler touch-up just minutes away from the beach.

It's definitely progress but every year we still hear about fatal accidents, heart attacks and other life threatening medical emergencies that couldn’t be dealt with in a timely manner because the infrastructure is not quite there yet.

Providing high-quality healthcare services in Sahel has been and continues to be challenging: “Private sector providers were typically hesitant to invest in the North Coast, which is understandable given the high overheads and the short season,” says Dr. Amr Hassan, a professor of cardiology and CEO of Oasis Clinics, the network of multidisciplinary specialized clinics with locations in Sheikh Zayed, New Cairo, and Diplo. “We were the first to introduce the model of a multidisciplinary clinic staffed by top specialists and consultants to the North Coast back in 2010. But launching it wasn’t easy: In addition to covering salaries, we also pay housing, transportation and expenses for our doctors and staff. Although it’s a long-term investment, we saw early-on the importance of supporting the healthcare needs of our patients on the North Coast. Once you have the basic infrastructure and systems set up, you can build on that and gradually expand your service offering.”

The stakes — and operating expenses — are even higher for hospitals. Safa Hospitals, another Sahel healthcare pioneer, opened their first small clinic and ambulance service in Ghazala more than a decade ago. In 2020 — the summer of covid-19 — the group expanded, offering CT scans and much-needed lab testing through Alfa Labs and Alfa Scan.

2020 was an inflection point when it came to the availability of clinics, doctors and diagnostics in Sahel. “But the ability to accommodate medical emergencies was still lacking and unfortunately lives were lost,” says Dr. Adel Talaat, chairman and CEO of Alfa Medical Group and Safa Hospitals. “We wanted to establish a facility that could at least stabilize severe cases before they are moved to Cairo or Alexandria. In 2022, we launched Safa Medi Hub, a smaller version of Safa Hospital with an emergency room and an intensive-care unit on the Alexandria-Matrouh highway opposite Seashell Compound. We now also have a North Coast ambulance service, with eight fully-equipped and fully-staffed ambulances. This was crucial because many of the ambulances that you see stationed near the entrances of compounds have neither the staff nor the equipment to really make much difference.”

“It’s difficult to just break even when we are talking about only two months of operation per year,” says Talaat. “But the summertime residents of Sahel are my patients and target market. Being in Sahel, through our two companies Alfa and Safa Hospitals, is one part marketing and two parts social responsibility, adds Talaat.

“I believe that healthcare in Sahel has gradually gone from zero to about 80 percent in the past 10-15 years. There are still gaps with things like extensive trauma management and coverage in the western end of Sahel,” says Dr. Khaled El Hoshy, a professor of dermatology, who runs a private clinic at El Corte in Hacienda White. “Right now, there may not be a large enough incentive for the private sector to invest in large hospitals, but that will be addressed as the season gets longer and we become more serious about ensuring proper services. In the meantime, it’s very important for everyone to work together to build a network of qualified doctors who can collaborate to provide quality services for patients.”

Cooperation will be key. “Instead of looking at models that have worked, like multidisciplinary clinics, and copying that for each compound, healthcare providers need to zoom out and look at the big picture in terms of what is missing and how we can fill in the gaps,” says Oasis CEO Hassan. “That starts with looking at patient needs — which may differ in Sahel — and finding ways to meet them. For example, this year, in response to market demand, Oasis is launching nursing services, meaning we can provide our patients on the Coast with fulltime live-in nurses for extended periods of time under the supervision of our doctors. I think it’s all about healthcare practitioners working in harmony with one another, and that includes both public and private sector providers.”

All of the private sector physicians that EnterpriseAM spoke to named one public sector facility on the Coast that could play a key role in helping fill in the gaps: Alamein Hospital. The 106-bed hospital located in the heart of New Alamein city was built in 2002, long before the existence of New Alamein. Skyscrapers and colossal buildings crept up around it, and what was once a modest, ill-equipped facility has transformed into a modern, fully-equipped hospital with a blood bank, an emergency department, operating rooms, and an ICU. Most summertime Sahel residents are completely unaware of its existence as a viable option.

Dr. Mohamed Adel, deputy head of El Alamein Hospital told us that after undergoing a major facelift and upgrade in 2022, the hospital is now well on its way to having the management, doctors and medical equipment it needs to serve an expanding population of residents.

“We are a public-sector hospital that is run like a private-sector facility,” says Adel. “In the summer months we cater to a population of nearly 3 mn people, at least half of them are summer vacationers. In the winter we have a growing number of Russian, Korean and European expats who are now working in the area, in addition to the local Bedouin population. Both groups rely on our facility.”

Adel says 75% of the more than 200 doctors he has on staff are university-affiliated physicians from Alexandria, Kasr El Aini, Minya and Ain Shams universities. “We are considered a Ministry of Health ‘category A’ hospital, which means we have access to more funding — and that has helped us to attract higher caliber doctors in recent years,” says Adel. “Our 12-bed ER and 10-bed ICU make us the only facility equipped to deal with serious accidents.”

El Alamein hospital is exploring public-private partnerships: “At Safa Medi Hub we now have a partnership agreement with the cath lab at El Alamein Hospital whereby we can transfer cases to them for treatment by their team and then have the patients transferred back to us,” says Talaat. “This is an example of the type of cooperation that we need to see going forward. Things are changing rapidly; the season can and will expand. We already saw that last year with our second Safa Medi Hub located inside Marassi. As an incentive to stay open, Emaar agreed to cover our costs from October to April. They wanted to guarantee the service for their residents and hotel guests. We expect to see more developers opt for this type of thing going forward,” says Talaat. “I see lots of room to collaborate with developers, the government and the Ministry of Health and we see plenty of opportunities for PPPs in healthcare throughout the North Coast in the future.”

HOW TO GET MEDICAL CARE IN SAHEL THIS SUMMER

HOSPITALS-

#1- Safa Medi Hub: The North Coast outpost of the Safa Hospital with a seven-bed ICU, a four-bed ER, Alfa Lab and Alfa Scan offering a full range of services including x-ray, ultrasound, CT, and open MRI.

  • Where to find it: Across from Seashell Compound, Sidi Abdel Rahman. Open 24/7.
  • Phone: 010 1999 9571
  • El Safa ambulance services: Eight fully-equipped and fully-staffed ambulances and seven first-responder cars.
  • Phone:16181

#2- El Alamein Hospital: Fully-equipped hospital with services including an ER, ICU, ORs, kidney dialysis machines, pediatric ICU, cath lab, CT and MRI.

  • Where to find it: Alexandria-Marsa Matrouh Road, El Alamein City.
  • Phone:046 4100 212. For home visits, send a WhatsApp message to 010 2383 0872 or 015 5942 2955

CLINICS-

#1- Oasis Clinics: For elective outpatient services, urgent care, and first-aid procedures, Oasis clinics has highly experienced consultants covering multiple specialties as well as support services including home visits, physiotherapy, labs, radiology, ultrasound, dental services, and optometry.

  • Where to find them: Diplo, Sidi Abdel Rahman. Open 24/7.
  • Phone:0100 4000 776

#2- Prime Clinics: Offering outpatient services in multiple specialties as well as lab services. Open from 11am to 11pm.

  • Where to find them: Telal
  • Phone:010 0099 8282

#3- Dr. Khaled El Hoshy Dermatology and Cosmetic Clinic: Offering dermatology consultations and treatments, including treatments for burns and sutures as well as cosmetic procedures.

  • Where to find them: El-Corte Hacienda White and at Oasis Clinics
  • Phone: 012 2170 4000

DIAGNOSTIC LABS-

#1- Alfa Labs and Alfa Scan

  • Where to find them: Multiple locations across Sahel including Marina 4, Diplo, Marassi, Seashell, Hacienda White, Ghazala, Swan Lake and Almaza.
  • Phone: For radiology services: 16171 | For lab work and home visits: 16191

#2- El Mokhtabar Labs

  • Where to find them: Hacienda White, Kilometre 137 of the Alexandria-Matrouh Road
  • Phone:19014
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