Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population, Dr Hala Zayed, has opened the first floating hospital in Egypt, which was docked on the Nile bank of at the southernmost city of Aswan, some 700km south of Cairo.
The floating hospital offers free-of-charge medical services for mothers and children in Upper Egypt.
The first floating hospital was established according to a cooperation protocol signed in November 2018 with Rotary District Governor, Abdel-Hamid al-Awa.
Dr Zayed said the floating hospital is scheduled to set sail on its first tour from 1 March 2019 till the end of April 2019, starting from Aswan and heading northwards to Luxor, Qena, Sohag, Assiut, Minya, Beni-Sweif and its final destination, Giza. At each stop, the hospital will dock for a week, targeting around 50,000 children and mothers all in all.
The hospital boasts 15 clinics as well as a number of subsidiary clinics, X-Ray and diagnostics unit, a laboratory, a pharmacy and other facilities, in addition to a team of specialised doctors and nurses.
Dr Zayed noted that the medical staff on the floating hospital would carry out early-tests on hearing, sight, anemia, breast cancer, and diabetes. Cases that require surgery or special treatment would be referred to the closest hospital that offers the required care.
The floating hospital will also run awareness campaigns on board.
Watani International
27 February 2019