The National Committee for the Presidential Initiative for Women’s Health has successfully reached women in every village and governorate for combating breast cancer.
Head of the National Committee for the Presidential Initiative for Women’s Health, Dr. Hesham El-Ghazaly, addressed the media during a press conference on Monday, where he detailed the initiative’s significant progress in the fight against breast cancer. “Instead of asking women to travel to us, we’ve brought the services directly to them,” he said, emphasizing the initiative’s accessibility and nationwide scope.
Through strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, the initiative has not only provided vital medications to a large number of patients but also treated countless women diagnosed with breast cancer. Dr. El-Ghazaly highlighted that presidential directives to localize cancer medicines have been instrumental in making treatments more affordable and accessible, further underscoring the initiative’s success.
In a nod to the country’s experience in eliminating hepatitis C, Dr. El-Ghazaly pointed out that the methodology used in the campaign against breast cancer mirrors the success of that earlier initiative. “The experience of eliminating hepatitis C virus taught us valuable lessons,” he explained, “and it enabled us to implement a similar strategy, covering 3,500 health units across all governorates in Egypt.”
One of the standout achievements of the campaign is its ability to provide comprehensive services at no cost to women. This includes not only screenings but also hormone receptor analyses, which have proven pivotal in personalizing breast cancer treatment. “Seventy percent of the women we examined tested positive for hormone receptors, and 35% of those were spared chemotherapy and instead received oral hormonal treatment, which they can take at home,” Dr. El-Ghazaly noted.
The initiative’s success has been driven by strong collaboration between the private sector and the government, which has proven essential in scaling up these efforts and ensuring women across the country are reached.
The press conference witnessed the presence of Switzerland’s Ambassador to Cairo, Andreas Baum, who praised the initiative as a model for international collaboration in healthcare. The conference also hosted several Arab and foreign journalists from countries such as Morocco, Libya, Algeria, and Tunisia, who learned about Egypt’s approach and the experiences of other countries in tackling similar health challenges.
