The People's Assembly approved yesterday the continuation of state-financed medical treatment. Hamdi el-Sayyid, head of the People's Assembly's health committee, reviewed his committee's recommendations during the assembly's general session, including a recommendation that state-financed medical treatment continue. The recommendation was approved unanimously by assembly members. The health committee also demanded supplementary funds to retain state-financed medical treatment service and help pay off the health ministry's debts. The People's Assembly also debated a bill on nuclear activity and radiation. MPs warned of the danger of radiation leaks from nuclear plants. Minister of Electricity Hassan Younis reassured MPs that international standards will be respected in the operation of a nuclear plant. The assembly also approved Article 8 of the bill on organizing nuclear activity and radiation, which is concerned with disposing of radioactive waste. People's Assembly Speaker Fathi Sorour attacked an article published in Al-Wafd on Thursday under the title "The Parliament has become a stigma for the State." Sorour said the article damages the Wafd Party's reputation and subjects the newspaper to penalties outlined in Article 184 of the Criminal Law, which states that anybody who humiliates the People's Assembly and the Shura Council should be fined and imprisoned. However, Sorour said he will not file a report with the attorney general out of respect for press freedom. Rafaat Radwan, head of the National Authority for the Eradication of Illiteracy and for Adult Education, described the persistence of illiteracy in Egypt as a "scandal." Radwan suggested that ten percent of state employees should be given time off to help solve this problem, with the number of illiterate people in Egypt reaching 16 million. He added that an employee's performance should be linked to his success in addressing illiteracy. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
