The Egyptian Ministry of Health is preparing to launch a new initiative for the early detection of 4 cancerous tumors, in a step aimed mainly at reducing the incidence of these diseases, and reducing the economic cost allocated to treating patients who discover their disease in the late stages.
A spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Health, Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, revealed, in exclusive statements to “Sky News Arabia”, that the new initiative includes the discovery and treatment of “lung, prostate, cervical and colon” diseases. Hospitals and treatment centers participating in the initiative.
Abdel Ghaffar indicated that this initiative is scheduled to be launched nationwide within the “next few weeks”.
Regarding the provision of the necessary medicines to treat patients diagnosed with cancer, he stressed that “there is no shortage of oncology drugs in Egypt, as they are provided in all centers and hospitals, and supported in the midst of the launch of the new initiative.”
In turn, an official in the technical office of the Egyptian Ministry of Health explained to “Sky News Arabia” that nearly 4 million citizens will be targeted for lung cancer, and the same for prostate cancer, according to indicators and criteria for infection that have been identified for medical teams.
He pointed out that the first phase of the initiative includes 9 governorates, to be followed by its generalization successively, and among those governorates are Port Said, Beheira, the Red Sea, Qalyubia, South Sinai and Alexandria.
The Egyptian official considered that this initiative has great economic feasibility. It contributes to reducing the economic cost allocated to treating patients in the advanced stages of these diseases, given the high value of providing oncological drugs and devices needed for treatment.
The importance of the Egyptian initiative
In statements to Sky News Arabia, the founder of the Liver Tumors Unit at the National Liver Institute and advisor to the Egyptian Center for the Right to Medicine, Mohamed Ezz Al-Arab, identified the importance of early detection of cancerous tumors in a number of points, including:
- The earlier we detect a cancerous tumor in the target groups, the easier it will be to deal with it with effective rather than palliative treatment.
- These initiatives must be encouraged and interacted with, because all scientific research stresses the need for early detection, as early detection facilitates treatment, unlike treating a tumor when it occurs at a late stage, which is difficult.
- For example; If an enlarged prostate is detected and an increase in the percentage of analyzes, it is possible to stop the disease from transforming into a tumor and stop its spread outside the prostate.
- The initiative is very important because it guarantees the targeted groups a full examination, early detection of these tumors, and follow-up of patients until recovery.
- The initiative contributes to reducing the burden of detection and treatment on patients’ shoulders, which is very important given the high cost of this type of disease.
- In Egypt, liver cancer ranks first in terms of prevalence, and there is a lot of initiative to examine and treat citizens, followed by breast cancer, the digestive system such as the colon, and then the prostate.
