By Fatemah Farag
"We have God to thank," said a relieved Mohamed Noureddin, Aida's brother. "The prosecutor's office realised the court's mistake and this is why they requested a re-trial."
Adel Eid, Aida's sole lawyer during her trial, explained that under the Penal Code, the prosecutor's office has 60 days to submit a report on the death sentence passed by the Appeals Court. The Court of Cassation then has the choice of confirming the death sentence or ordering a re-trial.
Eid had submitted a 51-page report to the Court of Cassation last Thursday. "In this report, as well as in my plea during the trial, I made the same point upon which the prosecutor based his request for a re-trial. The judge was unable to prove that the murder was premeditated," he said.
Eid also made several other points: he contended that the procedure of Aida's arrest was illegal; that her health had been impaired in jail because she was deprived of sleep; that she had fallen out of a window; and that flaxedile -- the drug Aida is accused of having used to kill her patient -- was not poisonous.
Eid pointed out that although the prosecutor's request for a re-trial is not binding to the Court of Cassation, "it is not possible for the latter to be more royal than the king."
Aida's family has made it a point to express gratitude for Eid's efforts. "Dreadful things were said about him after the sentence and this was not fair," said Mohamed. "And yet, he stuck with the case for her sake. We appreciate that."
A prominent lawyer, Mustafa Selim, has been brought into the case, in addition to five younger lawyers, including Amer Abu-Heif. "This time, we will not make the same mistakes," Mohamed said.
Viagra backlash By Fatemah Farag LAST Sunday, the Viagra frenzy took a nasty turn with the announcement by Minister of Health Dr Ismail Sallam that three men had been admitted to intensive care suffering severe complications resulting from the male potency drug. The announcement coincided with the death of six Viagra users in the US and warnings by German authorities that Viagra could negatively affect the sexuality of normal males. Although a direct link between the use of the drug and the death of the Americans has not been established, there are now serious concerns regarding the side-effects of the drug. Pfizer, the manufacturer, said it has posted warnings that heart patients who are taking any nitrate medication should not take Viagra. Last week, the Ministry of Health went public with its reservations against the use of the drug, insisting that it would not be registered locally until the necessary tests and research had been undertaken. Despite the warning, a vibrant black market continues to flourish, pushing the price of a single Viagra pill upward to approximately LE100. Security sources indicated that Viagra was being smuggled into the country from Turkey, Germany and the United States. According to published reports, eight deaths had occurred during the test phase undertaken by Pfizer. Further, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued additional warnings about the dangers of taking Viagra along with heart medications. In Egypt, opinions are divided over whether the drug should be legalised. The Pharmacists Syndicate, headed by Dr Zakaria Gad, has called on the Ministry of Health to register the drug to allow it to be distributed legally, but the ministry has stuck to its position. The issue will come up for debate at a meeting of parliament's health committee, scheduled for today. The Viagra controversy has brought to the fore the issue of illegal medications and the regulatory measures in force. At today's meeting, Dr Sallam is expected to submit a draft law which provides penalties of no less than one year's imprisonment and a LE5,000 fine for those who trade in unauthorised medicine. The controversy is not devoid of melodrama. According to published reports, three wives, worried about the health of their husbands, pleaded with the ministry to stamp out the Viagra black market. Emergency only By Mariz Tadros DR EZZEDIN Osman, a prominent gynaecologist and head of the Egyptian Fertility Care Society, has notified the Ministry of Health of the health hazards associated with the use of Postinor, a morning-after contraception pill imported from Hungary and registered with the Ministry of Health since 1995, reports Mariz Tadros. Contending that the medication's literature is misleading, Dr Osman told Al-Ahram Weekly that "post-coital contraception cannot be used as a substitute for ordinary contraceptives." Post-coital pills, Osman insisted, should only be used by women in an emergency. Women in regular sexual relationships, he added, should use the usual contraceptive pills which are taken throughout the month. Women can take estrogen and progestogen hormones which are already present in contraceptive pills. They are given in a bigger dose and for a shorter duration but they should be taken within 72 hours of intercourse. In the case of Postinor, it must be taken immediately after intercourse and "definitely within the hour." The protection rate for morning-after pills is between 80 and 90 per cent. But there are other methods, said Osman, such as the insertion of the IUD after intercourse to induce the ejection of the fertilised egg. The Postinor literature, said Osman, dangerously gives the impression that it can be used as a substitute for the usual contraceptive pills that are taken daily throughout the month. The literature flatly states that these post-coital and "contraceptive tablets ... provide an ideal substitute for the usual oral contraceptive pills" and the IUD and are "ideal for young married women." Osman explains that these pills may affect the stomach and cannot be used regularly because of the increased and sudden induction of hormones. Osman expressed fear that if Postinor was made available through government family planning centres, it could be misused as a substitute for contraceptive pills, especially in remote rural areas where awareness is not high. Related to the introduction of the morning-after pill are religious and moral issues. Some are worried that, by giving women greater sexual freedom, Postinor may encourage promiscuity.
The announcement coincided with the death of six Viagra users in the US and warnings by German authorities that Viagra could negatively affect the sexuality of normal males.
Although a direct link between the use of the drug and the death of the Americans has not been established, there are now serious concerns regarding the side-effects of the drug. Pfizer, the manufacturer, said it has posted warnings that heart patients who are taking any nitrate medication should not take Viagra.
Last week, the Ministry of Health went public with its reservations against the use of the drug, insisting that it would not be registered locally until the necessary tests and research had been undertaken. Despite the warning, a vibrant black market continues to flourish, pushing the price of a single Viagra pill upward to approximately LE100. Security sources indicated that Viagra was being smuggled into the country from Turkey, Germany and the United States.
According to published reports, eight deaths had occurred during the test phase undertaken by Pfizer. Further, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued additional warnings about the dangers of taking Viagra along with heart medications.
In Egypt, opinions are divided over whether the drug should be legalised. The Pharmacists Syndicate, headed by Dr Zakaria Gad, has called on the Ministry of Health to register the drug to allow it to be distributed legally, but the ministry has stuck to its position. The issue will come up for debate at a meeting of parliament's health committee, scheduled for today.
The Viagra controversy has brought to the fore the issue of illegal medications and the regulatory measures in force. At today's meeting, Dr Sallam is expected to submit a draft law which provides penalties of no less than one year's imprisonment and a LE5,000 fine for those who trade in unauthorised medicine.
The controversy is not devoid of melodrama. According to published reports, three wives, worried about the health of their husbands, pleaded with the ministry to stamp out the Viagra black market.
Emergency only By Mariz Tadros DR EZZEDIN Osman, a prominent gynaecologist and head of the Egyptian Fertility Care Society, has notified the Ministry of Health of the health hazards associated with the use of Postinor, a morning-after contraception pill imported from Hungary and registered with the Ministry of Health since 1995, reports Mariz Tadros. Contending that the medication's literature is misleading, Dr Osman told Al-Ahram Weekly that "post-coital contraception cannot be used as a substitute for ordinary contraceptives." Post-coital pills, Osman insisted, should only be used by women in an emergency. Women in regular sexual relationships, he added, should use the usual contraceptive pills which are taken throughout the month. Women can take estrogen and progestogen hormones which are already present in contraceptive pills. They are given in a bigger dose and for a shorter duration but they should be taken within 72 hours of intercourse. In the case of Postinor, it must be taken immediately after intercourse and "definitely within the hour." The protection rate for morning-after pills is between 80 and 90 per cent. But there are other methods, said Osman, such as the insertion of the IUD after intercourse to induce the ejection of the fertilised egg. The Postinor literature, said Osman, dangerously gives the impression that it can be used as a substitute for the usual contraceptive pills that are taken daily throughout the month. The literature flatly states that these post-coital and "contraceptive tablets ... provide an ideal substitute for the usual oral contraceptive pills" and the IUD and are "ideal for young married women." Osman explains that these pills may affect the stomach and cannot be used regularly because of the increased and sudden induction of hormones. Osman expressed fear that if Postinor was made available through government family planning centres, it could be misused as a substitute for contraceptive pills, especially in remote rural areas where awareness is not high. Related to the introduction of the morning-after pill are religious and moral issues. Some are worried that, by giving women greater sexual freedom, Postinor may encourage promiscuity.
By Mariz Tadros
Contending that the medication's literature is misleading, Dr Osman told Al-Ahram Weekly that "post-coital contraception cannot be used as a substitute for ordinary contraceptives."
Post-coital pills, Osman insisted, should only be used by women in an emergency. Women in regular sexual relationships, he added, should use the usual contraceptive pills which are taken throughout the month.
Women can take estrogen and progestogen hormones which are already present in contraceptive pills. They are given in a bigger dose and for a shorter duration but they should be taken within 72 hours of intercourse. In the case of Postinor, it must be taken immediately after intercourse and "definitely within the hour."
The protection rate for morning-after pills is between 80 and 90 per cent. But there are other methods, said Osman, such as the insertion of the IUD after intercourse to induce the ejection of the fertilised egg.
The Postinor literature, said Osman, dangerously gives the impression that it can be used as a substitute for the usual contraceptive pills that are taken daily throughout the month. The literature flatly states that these post-coital and "contraceptive tablets ... provide an ideal substitute for the usual oral contraceptive pills" and the IUD and are "ideal for young married women."
Osman explains that these pills may affect the stomach and cannot be used regularly because of the increased and sudden induction of hormones.
Osman expressed fear that if Postinor was made available through government family planning centres, it could be misused as a substitute for contraceptive pills, especially in remote rural areas where awareness is not high.
Related to the introduction of the morning-after pill are religious and moral issues. Some are worried that, by giving women greater sexual freedom, Postinor may encourage promiscuity.
THE PROSECUTOR-general, Ragaa El-Arabi, saying the death sentence passed against nurse Aida Noureddin was faulty, has asked the Court of Cassation to order a re-trial, reports Fatemah Farag.
Aida had been convicted by the Alexandria Appeals Court of murdering at least one patient and the attempted murder of several others, in the intensive care unit of the neurology department of Alexandria University hospital. Prosecutor-General El-Arabi took issue with the court's decision on the grounds that it charged Aida with pre-meditated murder, although the evidence that she deliberately acted to kill the patients was lacking. He asked the Court of Cassation to order a re-trial before another circuit of the Alexandria Appeals Court.