Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population announced on Tuesday that about five million students in various schools nationwide have been examined as part of the presidential initiative for the early detection of three diseases (anaemia, obesity, and stunting). Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said that the initiative aims to examine 15 million primary school students, Egyptians and non-Egyptians residing on the land of Egypt, in 29,444 public and private schools. He noted that the initiative continues to work until the end of the school year in all governorates of the republic. Through the initiative, medical surveys are conducted for students to measure weight, height, and haemoglobin level in the blood, in order to detect diseases resulting from malnutrition. Based on the results of these examinations, the ministry will work to develop the necessary mechanisms to improve students' health, in coordination with the Ministry of Education. Moreover, the cases affected by any of the diseases included in the initiative will be transferred to health insurance clinics, to complete the necessary examinations and dispense treatment free of charge. Abdel Ghaffar pointed out that the medical teams were increased to 2,400 medical teams in the initiative, and each team consists of 3 individuals (a nurse, a laboratory technician, and an administrator), and they were trained in examination and diagnosis protocols, as well as infection control standards.
