Ṭabīb al-Ghulābah | “Doctor of the Poor”

ANAGHAH SANIKAPALLY – A young boy pleaded with his mother for an insulin injection to manage his diabetes. Her response reflected the harsh reality of their circumstances; she simply couldn’t afford both his medication and food for his siblings. She could only afford falafel and bread.

The boy’s desperation reached an unfortunate climax. Feeling like a burden on his family, he set himself on fire, declaring to his mother that his siblings should eat, unburdened by his existence. Despite efforts to treat the boy’s wounds, Dr. Mohamad Mashally was unable to save him.

“I swore from that day forward I would dedicate myself to serving the poor,” he said in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

Egypt’s “Doctor of the Poor,” transliterated from Arabic as Tabīb al-Ghulābah, Dr. Mohamad Mashally became known for his unwavering dedication to providing healthcare to the underserved, impoverished villages near his hometown of Tanta (a city around 56 miles north of Cairo). Focusing on endemic illnesses such as bilharzia and worm diseases, which disproportionately afflict the economically disadvantaged, Dr. Mashally’s specialization addressed the pressing health needs of those neglected by Egypt’s mainstream health systems.

While other physicians charged forty  Egyptian pounds per consultation, he chose to charge only around ten Egyptian pounds (currently $0.21). Even with such reductions in cost, in instances where even this cost was unaffordable by his patients, he generously waived charges altogether, often delivering the medication for his patients himself.

When questioned about his remarkably low fees in an interview, Dr. Mashally explained that his upbringing in poverty, coupled with his father’s dying wish to prioritize the welfare of the less fortunate, shaped his need to provide his services to the poor. Dr. Mashally embodied the values of compassion and social responsibility that we should but oftentimes fail to see in physicians all across the globe. Dr. Mashally’s story not only stands as an inspirational reminder for future physicians, but also a beacon of hope against profit-centric healthcare models that we see throughout the world today.

Copy Editor – Priya Jani

Photography Source – https://www.newarab.com/news/tributes-pour-egypts-doctor-poor