Magdy Abdel Aziz, head of the Egyptian Customs Authority, confirmed that rumours spread by media and some news websites that airport customs refused the clearance of important hepatic medicines and other medications are unfounded.
Abdel Aziz explained that the Minister of Finance Amr El-Garhy stressed the need to accelerate customs clearance of all shipments of strategic and basic commodities, medicine, food, baby formula, and other commodities.
Hospitals in Egypt suffered a severe shortage of medicines after the flotation of the Egyptian pound, which raised the cost of medicines’ production in companies that rely on imported components by 60%. The US dollar price currently jumped to about EGP 18 compared to EGP 8.88 before the flotation, according to Abdel Aziz.
In terms of the shipment of liver transplant medicines of the University of Mansoura, he added that the air cargo export and import customs at Cairo International airport reported that a cargo of medicines (No. 02997934/157) was received in two packages weighing 130 kg and was stored at the airport’s cargo warehouse on 29 December 2016.
He pointed out that no company or person filled the customs declaration form for this cargo required for the customs clearance.
Abdel Aziz stressed that the Egyptian Customs Authority is ready for the immediate customs clearance of this shipment as soon as a company or the person concerned take the actions required for the cargo clearance.
