By the Gazette Editorial Board The national campaign launched by the Ministry of Health early this week to free the country from the Hepatitis C virus is of great significance not only for eradicating this deadly disease but also for drawing up a national health map of Egypt. The three-stage campaign is aimed at examining millions of Egyptians for early detection of HCV and offering free treatment to those afflicted; it is also aimed at reducing fatalities from diabetes, hypertension and obesity, the three major non-communicable diseases which account for 70 per cent of deaths in the country. Through this campaign, the Ministry of Health hopes to eradicate HCV from Egypt by 2020. The goal is great. But it may require more than the medical convoys that will visit each village and hamlet in the country to check the health of millions of Egyptians. What is more important is to collect accurate data about the spread of the disease and why it is more prevalent in some areas rather than others. This would make it possible to discover the reasons why more virus carriers are to be found in certain spots. This is where government intervention could eliminate the reasons for the spread of the virus, thereby preventing people from becoming re-infected in the future. The campaign was launched on the instructions of President Sisi and is part of the government's efforts to upgrade the health services provided to citizens. It should be a trigger for more campaigns to be launched targetting other dangerous diseases such as kidney failure, cataract and different kinds of cancer. Such campaigns, with their free early detection and treatment, would greatly reduce the economic burden borne by citizens. Their other function, that of increasing awareness of methods of prevention through lifestyle changes, would also lessen the side effects of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity. From the start of his second term in office, President Sisi has taken major steps to improve the health services offered to citizens. His initiative of ending the waiting lists for critical surgeries is one successful example and evidence of the state's efforts to ease the hardship imposed on Egyptians by health problems. This focus on healthcare services has made the people feel that they are starting to benefit from the economic reform that is being implemented. What is needed now is to develop all the government hospitals and healthcare units and to provide them with the equipment and staff they need to guarantee their ability to offer good health services to citizens throughout the year. For their part, citizens should co-operate by presenting themselves, without delay, to the travelling medical convoys for the checkups that are being conducted in all the governorates. The first stage of the campaign is due to cover nine governorates and target citizens above the age of 18. Another phase of the campaign will target school pupils and is due to start in the same nine governorates in January 2019.
