Since he was five years old Elijah Boktor wanted to be a doctor and considered access to healthcare a given, but it wasn’t until he traveled to his parents’ home country of Egypt that he realized just how much of a privilege a doctor’s visit is.
While Boktor is fully Egyptian, he grew up in the Santa Monica area and visited Egypt for the first time in 2018. He was amazed by the history, delighted to meet his family, but shocked by the poor standards of living and limited access to medical care. When he returned in the summer of 2021, he wanted to do something to help increase the availability of healthcare, but knew there was a shortage of doctors in Egypt willing or able to assist low-income residents.
A solution to this problem did not evade him for long. Inspired by the growth of telemedicine during the pandemic, Boktor decided to connect underprivileged patients in Egypt with Arabic speaking doctors in America for virtual consultations. With the assistance of his mother, three kind hearted doctors and a group of his Samohi peers, the Middle East Virtual Clinic was born.
Through the clinic, doctors connect with patients for a video consultation and then create a follow-up care plan including visits with local specialists, medication, tests procedures and recommended long-term treatments — all of which is covered by the clinic. Boktor and the Samohi Middle East Virtual Clinic Club serve as the fundraising branch of the clinic and help ensure patients can follow through with their treatment plan.
“People in Egypt, and in other second to third world countries, really don’t have the same lives that we live. A simple thing like a doctor’s visit is something so special and rare for them,” said Boktor. “And so I think it (founding the clinic) made me really view the world from a different perspective and understand that I’m very privileged and lucky. I need to use whatever resources I have to help other people.”
The clinic primarily treats patients living in an area on the outskirts of Cairo known as Manshiyat Nasser or more commonly as Garbage City.
“This place takes in all the trash from bigger cities, because there’s no proper sanitation system, so this city and the people inside of it basically act like a landfill,” said Boktor.
During their visit to Manshiyat Nasser, Boktor’s family volunteered at an orphanage and noticed there were many sick children. With the help of the Middle East Virtual Clinic several of these kids have now been connected to life changing medical care.
The clinic’s first ever patient was a three-year-old girl who was being treated for a rash on her face. During the virtual consultation the doctor noticed that the patient continued nodding off and guessed that there may be an underlying neurological condition such as narcolepsy. A trip to a local specialist confirmed that the patient did indeed have narcolepsy and she was subsequently treated for the condition.
Another powerful story concerns a four-year-old boy named Malek who has cerebral palsy. Prior to meeting with the Middle East Virtual Clinic, Malek could not walk and had to be carried everywhere by his mother. The clinic paid for a wheelchair, a brace and three ongoing weekly physical therapy visits. So far Malek has made huge improvements as is able to lift himself up independently and almost stand on his own.
While the organization is still young, Boktor and members of the associated Samohi club are committed to raising more money and growing the number of patients they can help.
“I definitely want to continue with it in college and keep working on it no matter what. The ultimate goal is to open up a clinic in Egypt one day,” said Boktor. “I definitely want to go pre-med and so I want to help in any way and give people that outlet and provide people with health care.”
To donate to the Middle East Virtual Clinic visit: https://tinyurl.com/MiddleEastVirtualClinic
Clara@smdp.com
