A video began circulating social media in Lebanon on Wednesday showing a heated exchange between a doctor and a patient over a scheduled surgery.
The video shows Dr. Mustapha Allouch angrily telling the patient to leave his clinic as the latter threatens to file a legal complaint against him, both exchanging insults in the process.
The incident took place in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, and was reportedly recorded by a woman accompanying the patient.
In a later statement to El-Nashra, Dr. Alloush, a former MP and Vice-President of the Future Movement, said that the woman wanted to have weight-loss surgery.
He said that he had personally provided financial assistance to help her have the operation and that he could not perform it because of the lack of the required medical equipment.
He added that prior to the confrontation shown in the video, he was explaining the situation to the patient, emphasizing that he could not perform the surgery without the needed tools.
The patient did not accept this, Allouch said, noting that he had asked her to go to another doctor, considering that her case was “not an emergency.”
For her part, the patient told the same source that she had been undergoing treatment with another doctor, adding that the reason for this operation was weight gain that was causing her back pain and breathing difficulties.
She explained that Allouch had initially informed her that the operation would cost 18 million Lebanese pounds, which prompted her to create a fundraiser to secure the amount.
She also denied receiving any financial assistance from the doctor and said that the operation was supposed to take place last Monday but was postponed to Friday.
Eventually, she said, she received a call from Allouch telling her that he did not want to perform the operation, upon which she headed over to his clinic where the recorded heated argument occurred.
