Egypt's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, participated in the Innovation and Equity in Women's Health Forum, held alongside the World Health Summit and the German Medical Industry Association Conference in Berlin from 12 to 14 October 2025. In his address, Abdel Ghaffar underscored the strategic importance of the forum as a global platform bringing together policymakers, researchers, and investors to advance innovation and equity in women's health. He highlighted Egypt's Presidential Initiative for Women's Health as a data-driven model that responds to women's real healthcare needs through evidence-based policy and inclusive design. The minister explained that the initiative aims to improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes by providing culturally sensitive screening methods, expanding access to primary healthcare and mobile clinics, and enhancing health education — particularly in remote and rural areas, including among women with disabilities. Abdel Ghaffar announced that Egypt has launched the Middle East's first artificial intelligence platform for mammogram image analysis, allowing faster and more precise breast cancer detection, especially in complex cases. The initiative also employs digital pathology for remote consultations and features a national health database linking screening, diagnosis, and treatment with real-time monitoring and cost tracking. He added that over 30,000 healthcare professionals have been trained under the initiative, including 1,100 specialists who earned advanced diplomas in breast cancer care through international partnerships. Egypt has also established next-generation sequencing laboratories and decentralized pathology services in cooperation with pharmaceutical companies to broaden access to innovative therapies. Abdel Ghaffar stressed that the initiative is fully aligned with the World Health Organization's Global Breast Cancer Initiative and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on early detection, accurate diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment. He called for stronger global partnerships between governments, academia, the private sector, and civil society — ensuring that women themselves take active roles as scientists, innovators, and community leaders in shaping the future of healthcare. On financing, the minister urged closer coordination among donors, governments, and private-sector actors to bridge funding gaps in women's health research and to harmonize data systems that guarantee equitable access to knowledge and innovation across regions. He also highlighted Egypt's broader achievements in public health, including the "100 Million Health" campaign for breast cancer and non-communicable disease screening, the expansion of universal health insurance, investment in local pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing, and the establishment of centres of excellence for oncology and maternal health. Abdel Ghaffar cited Egypt's ongoing collaborations with Northwestern University, global pharmaceutical partners, and the World Health Organization, including the launch of the "Cairo Call to Action" — a global framework aimed at enhancing access to breast cancer interventions and strengthening Egypt's leadership as a regional and international model. He concluded that advancing women's health over the next five years will depend on embedding early detection as a standard of care, reducing mortality rates, ensuring universal access to quality services, empowering healthcare workers, and adopting data-driven systems — reaffirming Egypt's commitment to leading the global effort toward women's health equity and innovation.
