Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population announced that 2 million and 438,000 women were examined, as part of the president of the republic’s initiative to “care for maternal and fetal health”, under the slogan of the initiative “100 Million Health.”
Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, indicated that the initiative aims to detect early detection of diseases transmitted from the mother to the fetus and provide free treatment and health care. It also targets early detection of infection with Hepatitis B, HIV, and syphilis for pregnant women.
For his part, Fawzi Fathi, the executive director of the initiative, said that the initiative teams follow up on the condition of the mother and newborn for 42 days, after the end of pregnancy, to discover risk factors for the mother or newborn, and take appropriate measures, in addition to dispensing the necessary micronutrients during the postpartum period.
Fathi added that the initiative guarantees the confidentiality of the analyzes and the accuracy of the test, by selecting reagents with international quality standards. It also includes advice on disease prevention and requires the woman’s approval and acceptance of the service.
He also stressed that the initiative is sustainable, within the services of health units and maternity and childhood centres, within the framework of activating and improving the quality of routine services provided by maternity and child care, which includes conducting a clinical examination to evaluate the general condition of the pregnant woman and the fetus, discovering risk factors that may accompany pregnancy, and tetanus vaccination.
It also includes measuring height, weight, and blood pressure, performing various tests to detect anaemia, determining whether or not the mother needs to get an Anti-D injection after birth, in addition to a urine analysis to determine the albumin rate and detect urinary system diseases. Nutrients are also provided to the mother during pregnancy.
Fathi pointed out that an integrated database has been created for the survey and linked to the health facilities participating in the initiative to facilitate the follow-up of the beneficiary woman and transfer her to the nearest centre to receive the necessary treatment according to her condition.
