Ashraf Sadek CAIRO, Oct 2, 2018 - About 85,000 people had medical tests for the detection and treatment of hepatitis C (HCV) in the second day of President Sisi's initiative to eliminate hepatitis C in nine governorates, a senior Ministry of Health official said on Tuesday. The three-phase project is designed to cover a total of 50 million citizens nationwide, Dr Hassani said, adding that the Ministry's doctors started doing the tests and administering medicine to patients in nine governorates. Dr Hassani said that the first phase of the project, which ends in November 30, would cover the governorates of South Sinai, Mersa Mattrouh, Port Said, Alexandria, Behira, Damietta, Qalubiya, Fayyoum and Assiut respectively. The second phase, which will end in February, is to cover the eleven governorates of North Sinai, the Red Sea, Cairo, Ismailia, Suez, Kafr el-Sheikh, Menufia, Beni Sueif, Suhag, Aswan and Luxor, he said. Following the second phase, the Ministry would launch the project's third and final phase in March, Dr Hassani said. The final phase, he said, would be implemented simultaneously in the seven governorates of the New Valley, Giza, Gharbiya, Daqahliya, Sharquia, Minya, and Qena. The third phase, would start on March 1 and end on April 30, Dr Hassani said. In the southern governorate of Assiut, more than 27,361 people visited the ministry's 257 mobile clinics and laboratories for hepatitis C tests and treatment, a senior official said. Assiut Governor Major General Gamal Nur Eddin said that 1,747 cases were diagnosed as positive. The positive cases, which included adults and children, were referred to the nearest hospitals for free treatment, Major Nur Eddin said, hailing the well-coordinated efforts of the Ministry's doctors, lab technicians and nurses. In Qalubia Governorate, Governor Alaa Abdel Halim said that the Ministry's hospitals and health centres had received more than 41,500 citizens on Monday alone. Governor Abdel Halim said that the Ministry had set up and equipped more than 256 centres to receive the residents of the governorate's villages and towns. In addition, he said, the Ministry had set up 18 small laboratory units in the governorate's hospitals for doing the hepatitis C tests and prescribing treatment for the positive cases. Damietta Governorate, more than 10,000 citizens visited the Ministry's hospitals and health units to take the laboratory tests on Monday, an official said, without revealing the number of the positive cases that had been detected. In another development, Prime Minister Dr Moustafa Madbouli on Tuesday directed the government to complete the upgrading of a number of hospitals in many Upper Egypt governorates. Dr Madbouli gave his directives during the weekly cabinet meeting that was held under his chairmanship. The upgrade includes increasing the number of beds in these hospitals as well as providing modern equipment and new staff members.
