Four Egyptian military planes arrived at Khartoum airport on 7 July 2021 carrying 38 tons of medical supplies. A statement by Egypt’s Ministry of Health said that the medical aid to Sudan was intended to support the country’s health sector in its fight against COVID-18 and Hepatitis C.
The aid included 300 oxygen cylinders and 300 oxygen regulators, aesthetic and emergency drugs, also a shipment of Hepatitis C medicines to treat 11,000 patients as part of the Egyptian presidency’s initiative to treat 1 million Hepatitis C patients in Africa, the Ministry statement said.
Egypt’s Health Minister Hala Zayed, who is also Head of the Executive Bureau of the Arab League’s Council of Health Ministers, ordered in addition a shipment of anesthetics and medical supplies worth USD200,000 to be sent to Sudan by the League of Arab States, the statement said.
The Ministry of Health’s statement stressed that Egypt would extend the air bridge to Sudan in order to help meet the requirements of the Sudanese health system.
Sudan expressed gratitude to Egypt for its support during difficult times, affirming the importance of the Egyptian medical aid.
Dr Zayed headed to Khartoum Sudan on the evening of Wednesday 7 July night. She was accompanied by two aides: Muhammad Gad and Muhammad Sobhy.
Upon arrival, the Egyptian Health Minister held a press conference in which she reviewed the cooperation between Egypt and Sudan, lauding the relations and experience exchange between the two countries, and stressing the keenness of Egypt’s political leadership to offer Sudan’s health sector all possible support. She said that cooperation would be ongoing through constant mutual visits, cooperation protocols, and field visits to hospitals in Sudan.
Dr Zayed pointed out the importance of sharing medical resources during this hard time of COVID-19, referring to the medical aid sent by Egypt to Sudan on four military aircraft that morning. She said that, as in Egypt’s successful campaign against Hepatitis C virus, Egypt would treat HCV patients in Sudan till “we can celebrate Sudan as free of HCV”. She said that five centres for treatment of Hepatitis C and B have been set up by Egypt in Khartoum, also two more centres in areas with high incidence of the disease, as part of President Sisi’s initiative to treat 1 million Hepatitis C patients in Africa.
According to Egypt’s Health Ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed, Dr Zayed agreed to dispatch Egyptian medical convoys to Sudan next August to combat the malaria carrying mosquito, and to launch polio vaccination campaigns in Sudan at the same time they are launched in Egypt.
On other fronts, Dr Megahed said that Egypt’s Health Minister offered scholarships to Sudanese medical students to study and sit for the exams of the Egyptian medical fellowship; and confirmed Egypt’s willingness to treat in its hospitals victims of the Sudanese revolution. She also discussed with her Sudanese counterpart cooperation in the pharmaceutical industry domain.
Watani International
8 July 2021