Questions parents ask before they start

Ekshef is an online pediatric cardiac surgery consultation: you upload your child's reports and write your question, and a written opinion from Assoc. Prof. Waleed Ismail arrives in your account. It is a professional reading of the report and guidance on the next step.

It is not a final diagnosis, no medication is prescribed through it, it does not replace the clinical examination at the clinic, and it is not to be used in emergencies.

For the parent of a child with cardiac reports: a child born with a congenital heart defect whose treatment plan has not been settled, a child waiting for a surgery date, or a child who has had surgery and needs follow-up. The service is particularly useful if you live far from the clinic or want a second written opinion before a decision.

The most recent echocardiogram report first. With it, if you have them, catheterization or previous operation reports, and imaging scans. Write your child's weight and age as well, and the current medications with their doses.

The more recent and the clearer the reports, the more precise the opinion.

Up to 20 MB per file, in PDF, JPG, PNG, or MP4 format. You can upload more than one file with a single request.

If the video clip is larger than that, upload the clearest part of it or a still frame from the screen.

Within 48 working hours from payment confirmation. Working days are Saturday through Thursday; Fridays and public holidays are not counted.

If we need a missing piece of information from you, the clock stops until you send it.

Inside Egypt: bank card, Fawry, or mobile wallet through Paymob, or a transfer to the wallet or by InstaPay with a photo of the receipt attached.

From outside Egypt: in US dollars through PayPal.

With a manual transfer, work on your request begins once the receipt has been reviewed and confirmed.

Before the doctor begins the review you can cancel and be refunded in full. Once the request has entered the “Under medical review” stage there is no refund, because the service has by then been performed.

And if the doctor is unable to reply, or you were charged twice, the amount is refunded in full. The details are on the Refund Policy page.

Yes. Reports are stored in a private folder on the site's server, shielded from direct access over the internet, and no one opens them but you or the doctor. They do not appear in search results and are not shared with any marketing party.

Medical files are deleted automatically after 24 months, and you can ask for them to be deleted sooner at any time.

Yes. Once the reply arrives you can ask 2 follow-up questions within 14 days at no charge, provided they are about the same case and the same reports.

A question that opens a new subject, or rests on new reports, is treated as a new consultation.

You choose the “Talk to the doctor” service. Once payment is confirmed, we agree a time with you on WhatsApp that suits the doctor's schedule and your time zone, and you confirm it from your account. The call takes place through a video link in your account that opens in your browser with no software to install, or on WhatsApp.

The call can be rescheduled once, free of charge, at least 12 hours before the appointment. The call is not recorded.

This service is not for emergencies. If your child turns blue, has severe difficulty breathing, loses consciousness, or refuses to feed altogether and is lethargic, call an ambulance on 123 or go immediately to the nearest emergency department.

Do not wait for a reply to an online consultation in these situations.

The clinic is at 102B El-Merghany Street, Heliopolis, Cairo. To book, message us on WhatsApp or visit the main website 2alb-atfal.com.

An online consultation does not book a clinic appointment automatically.