The Children’s Cancer Hospital 57357 is threatened with closure after a number of sources revealed a “lack of donations and funding” in the final quarters of 2022. With this lack of funding and current inflation, costs and financial burdens on the hospital have continued to worsen.
Sources told Masrawy that donations during this period have plummeted by 80 to 88 percent, in comparison to previous years. This has prompted 57357 to liquidate its final deposit in order to treat its 18,000 child patients.
The decline in funding has come hand in hand with local inflation and exchange rate fluctuations, most notably the exponential rise of the United States’ Dollar in comparison to the Egyptian Pound. This has resulted in the three-time increase in treatment costs.
The hospital has since limited its monitoring of patients above the age of 22, as opposed to its usual threshold of 25.
“A child with cancer is treated for three years at the hospital, and followed up with until they are 25,” a source told Masrawy, “that has since changed.” In addition to this stipulation, the hospital has also announced its inability to receive additional patients currently on its waiting list, which totalled 17,500 cases.
Many artists and prominent figures have taken to social media to air their grievances with the matter, including Amr Youssef, and Zamalek football star Shikabala who raised a “Save Hospital 57357” shirt in advance to a match he was set to play on 20 December.
Zamalek players after their third goal against Haras El-Hodoud:
“Save 57357 Hospital” pic.twitter.com/wLP98JhSjg
— KingFut.com (@King_Fut) December 20, 2022
مستشفى سرطان وكمان للأطفال مهددة بالغلق علشان مفيش تمويل
في بلد بتعمل أكبر مسجد وكاتدرائية وساري في الصحراء
في بلد تشتري طائرة رئاسية بنصف مليار دولار من اللي معدي 30 جنيه
في بلد تبنى قصور رئاسية علشان مصر ومينفعش تدعم مستشفى سرطان علشان أطفال مصر
فساد مرعب!#انقذوا_مستشفي_٥٧٣٥٧ pic.twitter.com/QmMYlN126L— Haytham Abokhalil هيثم أبوخليل (@haythamabokhal1) December 21, 2022
According to 57357, its Tanta branch will now be managed by Tanta University due to declining funds. This branch includes 47 beds and caters to the Delta region, but remains under strain due to approximately EGP 130 million in financial obligations. However, patients are free to continue treatment at the Cairo branch insofar that it remains open.
This is a developing story.
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