Egypt’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, witnessed the signing of two cooperation protocols on Tuesday between the Ministry of Health and the National Bank of Egypt (NBE) to support the country’s intensive care and dialysis systems.
The protocols were signed by Ahmed Saafan, Assistant Minister of Health for Hospitals, representing the Ministry of Health and Population, and Abeer Saleh Ibrahim, Deputy Director General of Community Development, representing the NBE.
Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, said the first protocol aims to support the intensive care system by operating five intensive care complexes in the first phase, adding a total of 300 beds.
“This will contribute to eliminating waiting lists, raising the efficiency of intensive care, and reducing waiting times, thus reducing the number of deaths,” Abdel Ghaffar said.
He noted that the Minister emphasized the importance of supporting the intensive care system as a top priority for the Ministry of Health to improve health services for Egyptian patients.
Abdel Ghaffar added that the second protocol was signed to support the kidney dialysis system in cooperation with the Crisis and Disaster Management Committee of the Ministry of Health and Population and the National Bank Charitable Association.
“The protocol targets 59,000 kidney dialysis patients, at a cost of EGP 12 million,” Abdel Ghaffar said. “The aim of the protocol is to provide support for the treatment of kidney failure patients and reduce the financial burden on patients, and exempt new patients from bearing exaggerated financial burdens due to some people exploiting the patient’s emergency condition.”
The protocol also includes evaluation and follow-up procedures for patients.
