WHO official hails Egypt's Hepatitis C campaign as biggest of its kind

CAIRO - 22 August 2019: The World Health Organization Director-General, on Wednesday, has called Egypt's 100 Million Seha (Health) medical initiative the biggest campaign to be implemented by a state, adding it had been a success worldwide, Egypt's Health Ministry said in a statement.

Adhanom met President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, where they discussed the circumstances of 100 Million Seha campaign. During the meeting, he considered such campaign as the biggest ever in its kind throughout history. He also met with Health Minister Hala Zayed.

Egypt's presidency announced last year launching 100 Million Seha campaign to detect and treat Hepatitis C and other chronic diseases among Egyptians and Africans. The campaign lasted between October 2018 and April this year, and had screened 45 million citizens for the blood-borne disease, according to the ministry.

Tedros Adhanom has arrived in Egypt on Wednesday in his first visit as WHO director-general, which is scheduled to last for two days. During his visit, Adhanom will review the medical campaigns launched by the African country, according to the statement.

Adhanom also hailed the presidential initiative for caring about the health of women, thanking President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for starting these initiatives which have succeeded at the international level. He also affirmed that Egypt is the permanent partner to the Egyptian Health Ministry

The WHO official is scheduled to visit on Thursday the department specialized in training doctors inside the National Training Institute, to see the operating theatre of 100 Million Seha campaign and the waiting list room.

Adhanom was elected by the member states of the WHO as director-general for five years since 2017. He is the first African in the WHO to take the technical and administrative affairs director post.

He has been the foreign minister of Ethiopia between 2012 and 2016, and earlier the minister of health from 2005 to 2012.