Organon Egypt, a global healthcare company, launched a new initiative, in line with Organon's objectives to provide access to family planning options that are able to meet women's needs. The initiative aims to raise public awareness of the latest family planning methods available. "Here for Her Health" was launched at a panel discussion titled, "Advancing Women's Health in Egypt: Accelerating Awareness of Family Planning Options and Removing Existing Barriers" which was held on 25 September. The panellists included various healthcare leaders who discussed various strategies to assist women in making informed decisions about their reproductive health. The panel also further outlined new approaches to provide women with ongoing family planning programmes and services. Tarek Abou El Einein , Organon Egypt's Country Lead said, "Act with Her" is another important milestone in our focus on enhancing women's health while providing innovative solutions to help address their family planning needs. In line with the goals of the World Contraception Day, Organon is inviting all the women health stakeholders, policymakers, advocates, and community leaders to "Act with Her" to support her family planning and empower her choices.
The panel featured a group of distinguished doctors and healthcare officials including Rania Elwani Ob/Gyn Consultant and former Egyptian swimming champion who spoke about the areas that women should consider making sure that she is taking good care of her health, by regular check-ups and initiating the right conversation with their doctors. Ayman Abo El-Nour, Head of Ob/Gyn Department at Ain Shams University, who remarked that the training initiative is crucial for changing the narrative about family planning and birth spacing. He commented, "When women have control over the timing of their pregnancy, they are more likely to attain higher education and better health outcomes." The Deputy Head of The Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement (UPA), Hisham Stait, was also present and noted that supporting women's right to choose the timing of their pregnancies leads to economic empowerment, educational empowerment, and health equity. He said, "We want to continue to work towards increased use of family planning methods especially the modern methods and ensure the ease of access to women in all governorates." Additionally, the panel included Hossam El-Din Fahem, Head of Ob/Gyn Department at Azhar University who spoke about how women have the right to choose what family planning options suits her health and lifestyle, and also during the panel discussion, Amal Abdel Hayy, Head of the Directorate of Motherhood and Childhood highlighted the government efforts in supporting women during her pregnancy time, and Laila Baker, United Nations Population Fund Regional Office, who highlighted the need for greater collaboration to deliver the impact needed to prioritize women's healthcare in the country and the region. The panellists also emphasized the importance of focusing on advancing women's health given that women are the cornerstones of their families. The need to increase knowledge of family planning options and overcoming the barriers of access is particularly significant in the context of the recently released Egypt Family Health Survey 2021 that shows that roughly 20.5% of births were unintended last year.
Focusing on women's everyday health needs, Organon has implemented several programmes to help women and their families in the region. The launch of Organon's healthcare practitioners (HCP) training programme in collaboration with four of Egypt's top medical universities (Ain Shams, Kasr Al-Aini, Azhar, and Alexandria) was among the company's highlights this year.
The programme aims to educate more than 200 medical professionals on the latest family planning techniques and options, as well as how to safely insert and remove long-acting reversible contraceptive options. Organon is addressing this critical topic in order to support women in their communication about their medical needs, general health, and family planning.
