Under the slogan of “Long live Egypt-Africa”, Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population recently dispatched last Monday a medical team of Egyptian ophthalmologists to Juba, South Sudan.
During the first few days, 5,171 South Sudanese were treated for eye conditions and diseases, and some 880 had their sight checked and were supplied with glasses. The medical service is offered free of charge.
According to the Health Ministry, South Sudan visit comes within Egypt’s African endeavours since it held the presidency of the African Union in 2019. It is part of the Long Live Egypt-Africa medical programme, launched by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, through which Egypt aims to to treat one million Africans for various diseases, especially Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). This is done through Egyptian medical centres set up in a number of African countries. The first African One Million Healths Initiative was implemented by Egypt in Juba, South Sudan, in September 2019.; in November 2019 it was implemented in Asmara, Eritrea.
Muhammad Gad, head of the Egyptian Ambulance Authority who is responsible of health projects in Africa, said that the Egyptian team included three ophthalmologists, and an official for registering patients’ data. They make a round of a number of schools, he said, to check the children’s sight and eyes. He added that the Egyptian clinic in Juba is equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment.
The African initiative is modelled after Egypt’s “100 million Healths” which was inaugurated in 2018 and which involved a comprehensive survey and treatment of Egyptians’ most prevalent maladies: Diabetes, Hypertension, and Hepatitis C virus. It aims at eradicating HCV in Egypt by 2023.
“Egypt has succeeded in examining more than 60 million citizens under the umbrella of the health initiative,” President Sisi said In September 2019 as he addressed the UN High-Level Meeting on universal health coverage on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly meetings in New York. Those found to be HCV-positive are treated at the expense of the State.
The World Health Organisation has been supporting Egypt in its 100 Million Healths initiative in Egypt, and the One Million Healths initiative in Africa. It has commended the country’s efforts, especially the inclusion of migrants and asylum seekers in Egypt in the initiative since March 2019.
Watani International
3 March 2020