Egypt launches last phase of ‘100 Million Healthy Lives’

CAIRO – 1 March 2019: Egypt’s Ministry of Health has launched the last phase of the “100 Million Healthy Lives” initiative, which aims at screening more than 52 million citizens for hepatitis C (HCV).

The third phase was launched in governorates of Giza, Gharbia, Sharqia, Dakahlia, Wadi Gadid, Qena, and Menya, targeting around 23.4 million citizens, said Minister of Health Hala al-Saeed in a statement on Friday.

The Arab Health Ministers Council announced that the 100 Million Healthy Lives is “successful approach”, calling for applying it in other Arab countries, the Minister added in the statement.

The number of medical staffs, assigned for the third phase, reached 8,520 groups, she continued.

Last week, the Minister announced that more than 30.3 million citizens have been screened for HCV in the first two phases nationwide.

The initiative has been launched in October 2018 under the auspices of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and due to end in April 2019 after targeting more than 45 million citizens. The Health Ministry has vowed to completely eliminate the disease from Egypt 2022.