Blood diseases treatment centers may rise: official

CAIRO - 3 March 2019: Chairperson of the General Authority for Health Insurance Soheir Abdel Hamid told Egypt Today that hemophilia and thalassemia patients receive free treatment at the expense of the state in Egypt.

The official added that the authority studies increasing treatment centers of blood diseases to reduce the distances traveled by patients.

According to 2016 statistics, Egypt has 21,000 hemophilia patients. Fifty eight of them are children.

A nationwide campaign to screen school students was launched in February. The purpose is to determine the prevalence of obesity, anemia, and dwarfness. The announcement was made during a joint press conference by ministers of health and education.

Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed stated that the screening would target almost 12 million students - aged between six and 12 - at 22,000 public, private, and Azhar schools. She explained that the campaign would involve 4,420 medical teams and 225 clinics.

Zayed clarified that students who need treatment would be referred to a Health Insurance clinic, to receive a free service.

The minister added that the campaign will be executed over three phases, and that check-ups would take place after providing a written consent of a parent and the student’s birth certificate.