Egypt opens first athletic heart center in Middle East

CAIRO – 11 March 2018: Egypt inaugurated on Sunday the first Athletic Heart Center (AHC) in the Middle East, which is meant to conduct full heart check-ups for athletes, which in turn could help mitigate the risks that might face them inside various sports pitches.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Minister of Health Ahmed Emad el Din described the center as the biggest medical complex in Egypt and the Middle East, citing the possibility of serious incidents that could happen in different sports fields as a result of ignoring medical check-ups for athletes.

“Any person wants to practice any kind of sports should undergo the necessary heart check-ups,” the health minister said.

For his part, Minister of Education and Technical Education Tareq Shawqi said the center is expected to contribute to the development of general and specialized medicine, expressing his willing to boost cooperation between the AHC and all colleges of medicine nationwide.

On his part, Youth and Sports Minister Khaled Abdel Aziz stressed that the center will help Egypt to become a global destination for sports medicine through performing full medical examinations for athletes worldwide.

A cooperation protocol will be signed between the AHC at Wadi El Neel Hospital and the Sports Ministry, Abdel Aziz said.

Also, he called on all presidents of the Olympic committees, sports federations and clubs to cooperate with the center in order to ensure the safety of all athletes.

All cadres participating in the AHC have been qualified on how to conduct all medical tests for all sportsmen, John Keith, a representative of Liverpool John Moores University said.

In a related context, Director of Wadi El Neel Hospital Hospital Hazem Khames said the unique and modern center will provide its services for all sportsmen in Egypt and abroad in collaboration with the Liverpool John Moores University.