Health Minister: “The "100 million healthy lives" initiative proved to the world Egypt's ability to make a real investment in its people.” 

 

Health Minister: “The "100 million healthy lives" initiative marks a turning point for the Egyptian Health System.”

 

Health Minister: “Egypt is about to receive an international certification from the World Health Organization as the first State that succeeded in eliminating viral hepatitis.”

 

Health Minister : “Completion of medical examinations for 60 million citizens as part of the Initiative launched by of President of the Republic to eliminate Hepatitis C and detect non-communicable diseases.”

 

The Director General of the World Health Organization praises the initiative leading the largest screening process in the history of humanity in terms of speed, quality, efficiency, and the number of patients treated free of charge.

 

Director-General of the World Health Organization: “Egypt is the best example in the fight against viral hepatitis in Africa.”

 

 

Dr. Hala Zayed, Minister of Health and Population, confirmed that the "100 million healthy lives" initiative to eliminate hepatitis C and detect noncommunicable diseases marked a turning point for the Egyptian health system, as it has proven to the world Egypt's capacity to make a real investment in its people, noting that 60 million citizens were screened as part of the initiative and patients were treated free of charge.

 

This comes in conjunction with the World Hepatitis Day, celebrated on 28th of July of each year. The initiative succeeded in completing full screening in only 7 months, since its launch in October 2018.

 

The minister explained that this initiative was at the top of the presidential initiatives launched by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in July 2018 to advance the Egyptian health system, improve the public health of the Egyptian citizen, adopt the strategy of investing in the Egyptian people and to achieve Egypt's vision 2030.

 

Dr. Khaled Mogahed, adviser to the Minister of Health and Population for Media Affairs and the official spokesperson of the Ministry, explained that, in conjunction with the celebration of the World Hepatitis Day, a number of monuments and national landmarks in Egypt were lighted: Rod El-Farag, the Administrative Capital, El Alamein Towers, Ain El Sira Lake, Mount Hatshepsut in Luxor, Tahrir Square, and Cairo Tower. In addition, 20 sailboats sailed in the Nile bearing the slogan "100 Million Healthy Lives", and "World Hepatitis Day 2020", and a number of cars roamed the streets of Cairo, carrying and distributing gifts in kind as awareness messages, calling citizens to take care of their health by participating in the two initiatives launched by the President of the Republic: one to support women's health, and one to detect and treat chronic diseases. 

 

Mr. Mogahed explained that the initiative launched by the President of the Republic to eliminate hepatitis C and detect non-communicable diseases also included examining school students in January 2019, noting that 7 million students were screened and 5 million citizens were treated free of charge as part of the initiative.

 

He also pointed out that Egypt was preparing to receive the international certification from the World Health Organization as the first country to eliminate viral hepatitis, noting as well that policies regarding safe blood transfusions and safe injection were applied to reduce infection rates and lower  the death toll due to viral hepatitis. 

 

On his part, Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, praised the Egyptian experience in the fight against viral hepatitis (virus C) leading the largest screening process in the history of humanity in terms of speed, quality, efficiency, and the number of patients treated free of charge.

 

Mr. Adhanom pointed out that Egypt was the best example in the fight against viral hepatitis in Africa. He talked about Egypt's experience in eliminating virus C, his visit last year to Egypt and his meeting with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of the Republic of Egypt. He was proud of the initiative succeeded in screening more than 60 million people, including Egyptians and non-Egyptians (residing in Egypt), and providing treatment for all infected people free of charge. He also praised the progress achieved by Egypt regarding universal health coverage, and its support for other African countries with the aim of calling for the elimination of viral hepatitis in 9 African countries.

 

For his part, Dr. John Jabbour, WHO Representative in Egypt, explained that Egypt, despite of the Coronavirus "Covid-19" pandemic, continued to provide medical services related to hepatitis C and B, as it continued to provide medical examinations and treatments for citizens. He also pointed out that Egypt had a history in that respect, as it established the National Committee for Control of Viral Hepatitis in 2006, and introduced new drugs to treat hepatitis (virus C) in 2014, in addition to automating patient databases and conducting the largest screening process known to the world for hepatitis C non-communicable diseases during 2018 and 2019. This was all accomplished as part of the presidential initiative of "100 million healthy lives".

 

Mr. Jabbour pointed out that Egypt marked great success in the health sector by continuing to provide health services during the Coronavirus pandemic, especially vaccinations, medical examinations, treatments, and follow-up of chronic disease patients, as well as welfare services for pregnant women and newborns in this respect. He stressed that the World Health Organization would remain a major partner to the Ministry of Health and Population in order to support Egypt’s public health.