The Ministry of Health and Population announced the examination of one million and 490,000 women as part of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s initiative to “care for the health of the mother and the fetus” for early detection of diseases transmitted from mother to fetus, and to provide treatment and health care free of charge, under the slogan “100 million health”, since The launch of the initiative in March 2020 until today.
Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Population, indicated that the initiative aims to early detection of infection with the B virus, human immunodeficiency virus, and syphilis for pregnant women, in addition to reducing maternal deaths caused by these diseases. 42 days after the termination of pregnancy to discover the risk factors for the mother or the newborn, and to take appropriate measures, in addition to dispensing the necessary micronutrients during the postpartum period.
Abdul Ghaffar added that the initiative guarantees confidentiality of analyzes and proper testing by selecting reagents with international quality standards. It also includes advice to prevent diseases, and requires approval and the woman’s willingness to serve.
He stressed that the initiative is sustainable within the services of health units and maternal and child centers, within the framework of activating and improving the quality of routine services provided by maternal and child care, including conducting a clinical examination to assess the general condition of the pregnant woman and the fetus and discovering risk factors that may accompany pregnancy, tetanus vaccination, and measuring height and weight. And blood pressure, and various analyzes needed to detect anemia, or to determine whether the mother needs an Anti-D injection after childbirth or not, in addition to a complete urine analysis to detect albumin and urinary system diseases, and the necessary micronutrients are dispensed during pregnancy.
For his part, Dr. Fawzi Fathi, Executive Director of the initiative, added that the initiative services are provided in all health units and medical centers, and cases that need advanced medical examinations are referred to 90 referral centers for B and HIV, in addition to 163 referral centers. Syphilis patients nationwide, as well as cases with high blood sugar or discovered with any other risk factors, are referred to complete evaluation and treatment at 303 hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Health.
Dr. Fawzi Fathi added that the initiative is carried out by more than 4,000 medical teams, who were trained on how to use devices for early detection of HIV infection, HIV and syphilis for pregnant women, and to conduct blood sugar analyzes and physical measurements, in addition to training them on how to deal With the beneficiaries, completing the follow-up card, and entering the data, explaining that the medical teams, devices and supplies that must be available were distributed according to the number of pregnant women in each unit, and that work continues throughout the official working days from 8 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon.
He pointed to the establishment of an integrated database for the survey and linking it to the health facilities participating in the initiative to facilitate the follow-up of the beneficiary woman and transfer her to the nearest center to receive the necessary treatment according to her condition. The “Health of Egypt” application, in addition to receiving inquiries through the hotline “15335”.