Prime Minister Essam Sharaf agreed on Thursday with a number of German medical experts to build a specialized center in Cairo to treat victims of road accidents. The move comes amid the release of new statistics indicating that vehicle collisions kill 12,000 and seriously injure 50,000 Egyptians yearly. Health Minister Amr Helmy said during a press conference after Sharaf's meeting that the first stage of the project would cost 55 million euros. Helmy said the government would take on 20 percent of the cost of the project in providing the land, and that the German government would provide technical support. He said the rest of the costs would be covered by donations from Egyptians living in Germany and other European countries. Samy Salem, an Egyptian doctor who lives in Germany, stressed that the center would provide a model for emergency treatment of road accidents that could be applied in other governorates. The German medical expert team said that Egyptian doctors will receive training in Germany to prepare for work in the center. Helmy stressed that his ministry is also working to improve emergency departments in hospitals to benefit all patients. Translated from the Arabic Edition
