Yehiawy is unable to cover his 40,000 Euros treatment fees Algeria – Hocine Bousalah Algerian journalist Tarik Yehiawy, who is suffering from Spina bifida - a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube - has announced he will go on a hunger strike in France. This follows his outcry over the 40,000 Euro medical expenses, which he is unable to cover. The Algerian journalist, who has worked for a number of newspapers as well as Channel Three in Algeria, recently participated in an international forum about his disease to educate people and defend fellow sufferers. Tarik could be expelled from the Strasbourg Hospital in France after he was unable to pay 40,000 Euros in treatment. Algerian officials have not yet become involved in the dispute.