Egypt enters global top ten in lung disease prevention

Egypt ranks ninth in the world for its programmes on early detection and prevention of lung diseases. This was announced by the country’s Minister of Health, Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, at the annual professional forum for pulmonologists, reports Middle East News Agency (MENA), a partner of TV BRICS.

The new strategies are based on a shift from disease treatment to disease prediction. To achieve this, Egypt is introducing genomic analysis technologies and precision medicine – a personalised approach in which treatment is tailored to each individual patient based on the study of their genetic information. This enables the identification of disease risks before the appearance of the first symptoms.

It is noted that the republic has succeeded in reducing morbidity and mortality from respiratory infections by more than 88 per cent. The minister also stated that Egypt has been officially declared free from malaria and several other viruses, while the average life expectancy in the country has increased to 73 years. Diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis are provided to citizens free of charge in Egyptian hospitals.

Earlier in October, Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko held a meeting with Chairman of Egypt’s Healthcare Authority Ahmed El-Sobky, during which the parties exchanged experience organising primary healthcare, as reported on the ministry’s website.

Following the visit to Russia, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the National Medical Research Centre for Therapy and Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health of Russia and Egypt’s Healthcare Authority.

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