Egypt's Minister of Health and Population, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, participated virtually in the launch ceremony of the United Nations Friends of the UN Group to Eliminate Hepatitis C, in the presence of John Ward, Director of the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination. These events are being held on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York, from 13 to 26 September 2022.
In a statement on Wednesday, the minister said that his participation comes within the framework of Egypt's approval to run for the leadership of the group, to work amid international efforts with the aim of accelerating the eradication of Hepatitis C by 2030, in line with the achievement of the UN sustainable development goals and the goals of the World Health Organization (WHO).
During his speech, Abdel Ghaffar reviewed the achievements and mechanisms followed by the Egyptian state in eliminating the chronic disease Hepatitis C, through the initiative of the President of the Republic 100 million health, stressing that this file witnessed great interest from the political leadership and placed it as a priority for Egypt's healthy vision.
Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, pointed out that the minister reviewed Egypt's achievements in the pharmaceutical manufacturing file for all antiviral drugs, stressing that the Egyptian state possesses huge human capabilities and a distinguished infrastructure, which enabled it to detect early and treat millions of patients in record time.
He added that the minister also stressed the provision of all means of support, capabilities and resources to launch this international group, under the umbrella of the UN, in addition to the Egyptian state's readiness to assume the position of chairing the group for the first year, given Egypt's experience in this file.
He noted that the Egyptian state does not spare any effort to share its experiences and successful plans in the field of eliminating Hepatitis C, and to help countries that are witnessing a rise in the number of patients.
For his part, Ward welcomed Egypt's lead for the international activities to eradicate Hepatitis C, given Egypt's great experience in this file, stressing that this accession will have a significant impact in mitigating the severity of the disease and the number of infected people around the world.
On the sidelines of the coalition's activities, Heba Mostafa, Deputy Head of the Egyptian Permanent Mission in New York, provided Egyptian support in the form of a shipment of drugs to treat Hepatitis C to the Republic of Ghana.
