Egypt on Monday (October 1st) kicked off a health campaign to eradicate hepatitis C across the nation as part of the administration’s strategic 2020 plan, Egypt’s Ahram Online reported.
The first phase of the "100 million healthy lives" campaign was set to launch Monday in nine Egyptian governorates, Minister of Health Hala Zayed said Sunday.
The campaign also aims to stymie the growth of chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, which are responsible for 70% of all deaths in Egypt, Zayed said.
The first of the campaign’s three phases will run until November 30th.
According to 2015 statistics, some 15 million Egyptians carry hepatitis C — around 22% of the population. The ministry has vowed to completely eliminate the disease in Egypt by 2021.
The World Health Organisation has praised Egypt's efforts to combat the virus, including government subsidies for new treatments.
The World Bank supports President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s initiative, and has invested $133 million for general screenings and $129 million for treatment of the virus in the first phase, Bank representative Amr al-Shalaqani said Sunday.
The initiative is being monitored by many countries, and the results and lessons from the experiment will be transferred to other countries, he added.
Egypt kicks off first phase of campaign to eliminate Hepatitis C. Good. However, there are many other diseases in Egypt that may be endemic and yet the hospitals that the poor go to have no medicines to treat them. The poor can’t afford these vital medicines because they’re expensive at the local market. Therefore, the poor suffer and die. Marghani.
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