Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed announced, on Wednesday, that almost 7.49 million students were screened as part of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s initiative for the early detection of diseases.
The campaign was launched in early November, and aims to screen for illnesses and diseases such as anaemia, obesity, and stunted growth among students at primary schools.
Ministry of Health and Population Spokesperson Khaled Mogahed said the initiative aims to examine 14 million Egyptian and non-Egyptian primary school students in the country, at 29,444 public and private schools.
The initiative will continue screening work until the end of the academic year, conducting medical surveys of students to measure weight, height, and haemoglobin levels. The screening is being carried out in order to detect malnutrition-related diseases, according to Mogahed.
Based on the results of these examinations, the Ministry of Health and Population will work to develop the necessary solutions to improve students’ health, in coordination with the Ministry of Education.
Moreover, any cases presenting with symptoms 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 revealed that the highest number of students were screened in Sharqeya governorate, with 803,996 examined, followed by Daqahleya governorate, with 681,795 students screened.
“All precautionary measures against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been applied during the screening process,” he said.
He further noted that 1,800 medical teams participated in the initiative, with each team consisting of a nurse, a laboratory technician, and an administrator.
