Egypt: Doctor sentenced and fined for spreading false news about a famous hospital

July 4, 2026 - 16:31 | Last update: July 4, 2026 - 16:31

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Mohamed Sadiq

The Economic Misdemeanor Court in Alexandria closed the case that recently gripped public opinion and social media platforms, known in the media as the 'Al-Shatby Hospital doctor', sentencing Dr. Omnia Suwaidan to 6 months in prison with labor, with the execution of the sentence suspended for 3 years starting from the date of the verdict, after convicting her of spreading false news on social media about Al-Shatby Hospital, part of Alexandria University Hospitals.

The court also fined the defendant 20,000 Egyptian pounds, ordered her to pay criminal expenses, acquitted her of the second charge against her, and referred the civil lawsuit to the competent court for adjudication.

Case background

The details of the case go back to the posts circulated by the doctor on her personal Facebook account, which contained allegations of ethical and professional violations at Al-Shatby Hospital, sparking widespread controversy on social media and prompting the Public Prosecution to open an urgent investigation to determine the truth of these claims.

According to a previous statement by the Public Prosecution, it received a report from the Director of Legal Affairs at Alexandria University Hospitals, who confirmed that the hospital had not received any complaints or reports from patients regarding the alleged incidents, necessitating the initiation of investigations and the taking of necessary legal measures.

Technical examination and investigations

The Public Prosecution clarified that the technical examination of the electronic account that published the posts in question resulted in identifying the account holder, who turned out to be Dr. Omnia Suwaidan.

During the investigation, the defendant admitted to owning the account and writing the post, explaining that she is a medical school graduate, completed her internship and practical training at Alexandria University Hospitals during 2020 and 2021, and worked for two months in the obstetrics and gynecology department.

According to the prosecution's investigations, she said that during her training she witnessed some medical procedures, but due to her recent entry into medical practice and lack of experience at the time, she believed some of them exceeded what is customary or medically permissible.

Unverified information

The doctor also admitted that some of the incidents mentioned in the post were not based on direct observations, but rather relied on narratives conveyed to her by others, without being able to identify their identities or verify the accuracy of what they told her before publishing.

The investigations also revealed that she does not possess any data or information about the patients she referred to in the post, nor can she identify them, confirming that she stopped practicing medicine after the internship period and turned to work in the film industry.

The defendant also pointed out that the post received wide interaction on Facebook and contributed to increased rates of comments and shares on her personal page.

Referral decision and verdict

After completing the investigations, the Public Prosecution decided to refer the defendant to criminal trial on charges of spreading false news that could disturb public security and cause unrest via the internet, as well as using an electronic account to commit the crime.

After hearing the case, the Economic Misdemeanor Court in Alexandria issued its verdict sentencing the defendant to 6 months in prison with labor, with the execution of the sentence suspended for 3 years, and fining her 20,000 Egyptian pounds, acquitting her of one charge, and referring the civil lawsuit to the competent court.