Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population announced that 3,061,637 citizens have benefited from the free services of the national initiative for early detection of cancer, under the umbrella of the “100 Million Health” initiative.
The initiative, which covers 18 governorates, targets citizens aged 18 and above, to detect cancer in its early stages. This helps to reduce the mortality rate and the financial burden of diagnosing cancer in its late stages.
Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, emphasized the importance of the questionnaire that identifies the risk factors for developing cancer, followed by referral for further tests.
He said that 34,992 citizens were referred to detect lung cancer, 191,782 citizens were referred to detect colon cancer, 137,835 citizens were referred to detect prostate cancer, and 8,000 female citizens were referred to detect cervical cancer.
Nirvana Magdy, the executive director of the initiative, explained that the initiative’s services start with the citizen visiting the health unit and filling out a questionnaire, which asks about the symptoms of all cancers covered by the initiative. Based on the questionnaire results, the citizen is informed of the type of cancer they are screened for.
Nirvana added that after determining the type of cancer to be detected, the citizen is transferred to the hospitals affiliated with the initiative, to undergo the necessary x-rays and laboratory tests. If the tests are negative, the citizen is advised to follow up periodically according to the type of cancer they are screened for. However, if the tests are positive, the patient is referred to a multidisciplinary committee to decide on the best treatment plan.
