10 million Egyptians examined under initiative to detect chronic diseases: Health min.

CAIRO – 14 October 2020: Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed said on Wednesday that more than 10 million citizens have been examined, as part of the President's initiative to examine and treat people with chronic diseases, a health spokesman said.

The ministry said it has provided treatment to 1,385,199 citizens free of charge, including 388,170 cases suffering from hypertension and 419,000 cases suffering from diabetes.

The governorates that have recorded the highest turnout with regard to the initiative are Sharqiya, South Sinai, Ismailia, Menoufia, Assiut, Dakahlia and Damietta, the spokesman said.

The initiative aims to examine all citizens over the age of 40, representing around 28 million people, to treat those suffering from chronic diseases, the spokesman noted.

The services provided by the initiative include screening for chronic diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure and heart diseases. It also provides early detection of nephropathy for patients with chronic diseases, measures body mass index, and provides health education for those taking part in the initiative.

He pointed out that the initiative continues to examine citizens until December 31, calling on citizens over the age of 40 to go to the places where the initiative services are provided to conduct the necessary medical examinations.

Citizens under 40 years of age are also encouraged to participate in the initiative in case they suffer from chronic diseases.

Egypt’s initiative “100 Million Healthy Lives” against hepatitis C was launched in October 2018 under the auspices of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and ended April 2019 after targeting more than 45 million citizens. The Health Ministry vowed to completely eliminate the disease from Egypt in 2022.

In a meeting gathering the representatives of nine World Health Organization (WHO) offices in Africa and the Middle East in Cairo, Egypt’s initiative “100 Million Healthy Lives” against hepatitis C was discussed to be applied in 18 African countries, WHO announced in a press conference July 2019

President Sisi ordered intensifying efforts aimed to transfer Egypt's health and medical expertise to other African countries for curing 1 million Africans. Sisi was updated on the Health Ministry’s planned visits to Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania to assess their medical needs.

WHO representative in Egypt announced WHO support to Egypt’s effort to eliminate Hepatitis C among Africans via holding inter-regional consultations and via cooperation among the WHO offices across the continent.