The Ministry of Health has signed a new protocol with the Ministry of Military Production to establish a new factory for medical saline.
There has been a significant shortage in medical saline for the past few months which has raised prices in the informal market from EGP 2 to EGP 25.
The Health Ministry said in a statement that the protocol aims to cover this shortage, and the factory is 60% prepared to start operations. “A production line was already created for the saline but was not yet activated,” head of Vacsera, Olfat Ghorab, said in the statement.
The ministry is doing its best to find fast solutions for the lack of medical saline in the Egyptian market, spokesperson for the Health Ministry Khaled Megahed said.
The armed forces have previously undertaken several steps to revamp the healthcare sector.
In early September, following protests by families against a shortage in subsidised baby formula, the armed forces announced a few days later that it will start importing new batches to cover the shortage.
In June 2015, the armed forces undertook renovations at the National Cardiac Centre following a sudden visit by then prime minister Ibrahim Mehleb, who said he was surprised by the centre’s rundown conditions.
Hany Mehany, Doctors Syndicate board member, told Daily News Egypt that the shortage in saline has been a disaster because it is considered a matter of life or death for all patients with tumours, hepatitis, and those in intensive care units.
