EGYPT— Egypt government has launched “the 100 Healthy Days” campaign, which will see free-for-charge diverse health services provided to Egyptians for the next 100 days.
Since its official launch on the 25th of June, the check-up campaign has so far provided 3.69 million services nationwide since its launch, as announced by the Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar.
The 100 Healthy Days campaign, launched under the directives of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, aims to provide services to Egypt’s 105 million population.
It provides services free of charge to all residents of Egypt both locals and foreigners under the umbrella of the 100 Million Healthy Lives (100 Million Seha) initiative and its beneficiaries.
The services are provided through medical convoys, family planning clinics, routine vaccinations, and awareness campaigns, the spokesperson added.
The services include early detection and treatment of chronic illnesses, treatment of liver cancer for hepatic cirrhosis patients to eradicate Hepatitis C, and treatment of nutrition in school children and children suffering from muscle atrophy.
The campaign will also provide examinations for cancerous tumors in the prostate, colon, lung, and cervix.
The campaign also provides care to mothers and foetuses as well as treatment of hearing loss or impairment and genetic disorders for newborns.
Beneficiaries of the pre-marriage medical examination initiative and the initiative to provide healthcare to the elderly will also benefit from the campaign.
The ministry will also revive the “You Can, Without It” anti-drug initiative for the fifth year in a row under the current campaign to encourage those recovering from addiction to avoid any activities or places that may lead them back to drug abuse.
Minister Ghaffar has also highlighted the need to intensify awareness about the goals of the campaign, affirming its importance in boosting comprehensive health awareness.
Ghaffar also called on all citizens to go to the headquarters that provide services for the 100 Days of healthy lives Campaign.
The campaign runs every day from 9 AM to 9 PM with trained medical cadres serving citizens and the services are provided for free.
Moreover, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stressed the state is keen to support the 100 Healthy Days campaign to enhance healthcare services for citizens nationwide.
The premier’s remarks came during his meeting on Tuesday with Health Minister Ghaffar, at the Cabinet’s headquarters in the New Administrative Capital to follow up on the progress made in the new health campaign.
The campaign has so far provided more than three million healthcare services by 62 convoys stationed in all governorates, in addition to the vaccination of 62,561 children, the health minister said.
Using over 5,000 primary care units nationwide, the campaign includes 500 medical convoys to offer check-ups, treatment, testing, and screening services at the state’s expense, while 53 mobile clinics have also been deployed to public and crowded places.
These clinics cover various specialties, such as internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, ophthalmology, teeth, ear and nose, obstetrics and gynaecology, and dermatology.
The 100 Million Seha campaign
With Hepatitis C and NCDs being the top two threats to the health of Egyptians, the ‘’100 Million Healthy Lives’’ nationwide screening campaign – the largest of its kind across the entire globe – was launched in 2018.
The Egyptian Ministry of Health noted that in 2015 the country had the highest global Hep. C prevalence rate, with 5% of the adult population being infected.
Additionally, the high rates had substantial economic impacts including a 1.5% annual drop in GDP. Hep. C patients were also five times more likely to fall into poverty.
In parallel, the country was also facing a mounting burden of NCD risk factors (high blood pressure, sugar levels, and increased body weight) which accounted for an estimated 92% of all deaths and 67% of premature deaths.
Moreover, not diagnosing the risk factors early on contributed to the high rate of NCD-caused deaths.
Those challenges had immense negative impacts on the well-being of Egyptians and hindered their ability to lead healthy, productive lives.
In 2021, the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population and the World Health Organisation confirmed that Egypt was the first country globally to announce that it has gotten rid of Hepatitis C, thanks to the efforts of the “100 Million Healthy Lives”.
According to the World Health Organization’s verification report, Egypt’s government developed a plan of action for eliminating hepatitis C and effectively outlined its objectives and methods to achieve those goals.
The new “100 Healthy Days” campaign is meant to provide free treatment to the patients under the initiatives, all of which are part of the broader 100 Million Healthy Lives initiative that has extended services to millions of citizens over the past years.
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