Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed announced, on Thursday, that 4.737 million students were screened as part of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s initiative for the early detection of diseases.
The campaign, which aims to screen for illnesses and diseases, such as anaemia, obesity, and stunting, was launched in early November, and targets students at Egypt’s primary schools.
Ministry of Health Spokesperson Khaled Mogahed said that the initiative aims to examine 14 million Egyptian primary school students, as well as non-Egyptian students residing in the country, at 29,444 public and private schools.
The initiative will continue its work until the end of the academic year.
Mogahed added that, through the initiative, medical examinations are being conducted on students to measure weight, height, and haemoglobin levels, to detect diseases resulting from malnutrition.
Based on the results of these examinations, the ministry will work to develop the necessary mechanisms to improve student health, in coordination with the Ministry of Education.
Moreover, the cases affected by any of the diseases included in the initiative will be transferred to health insurance clinics, to complete the necessary examinations and dispense treatment free of charge.
Mogahed said that the highest number of students, or 601,841, were screened in Daqahleya Governorate, followed by Sharqeya Governorate, with 540,801 students, and Giza Governorate, with 321,712 students.
