AGP Executive Report

Gaza Care: The UAE says its floating hospital in Al Arish has treated more than 35,000 Palestinian patients, while medical aid and mobile clinics continue supporting Gaza’s strained health system. Digital Health: Egypt’s Ministry of Health and eHealth Africa have signed a cooperation protocol to advance digital health across Africa. Emergency Medicine: A 60-dose antivenom treatment saved an Egyptian man after a snakebite stopped his heart. Hepatitis C: Egypt has become the first country to retain the WHO’s gold-tier status for eliminating hepatitis C.

Medical Training: Cairo hosted the International Society of Paediatric Neurosurgery’s annual conference, drawing about 800 specialists. Organisers said it was the society’s largest meeting and set a record for African and low- and middle-income-country participation. Disease Control: Egypt became the first country to retain WHO “gold tier” status for hepatitis C elimination. Digital Health: Egypt’s Health Ministry and eHealth Africa signed a cooperation protocol to advance digital health across Africa. Cancer Care: Novartis Egypt highlighted early detection and treatment adherence in breast cancer, while oncologist Hisham Ghazaly received a global oncology award.

Hepatitis C: WHO confirmed Egypt is the first country to retain gold-tier status for progress toward eliminating the disease. Digital Health: Egypt’s Ministry of Health and eHealth Africa signed a cooperation protocol to advance digital health across Africa. Health Investment: Egypt’s planning minister linked the country’s move into the high human development category to increased investment in healthcare and education. Cancer Care: Egyptian oncologist Hisham Ghazaly became the first Arab recipient of a global oncology award. Regional Cooperation: Oman and Egypt discussed ways to strengthen cooperation across their health systems.

Hepatitis C: Egypt has become the first country to retain the WHO’s gold-tier status for eliminating hepatitis C, after a review confirmed sustained progress from 2023 to 2025. Digital Health: Egypt’s Health Ministry and eHealth Africa signed a cooperation protocol on AI, disease surveillance, health data systems and remote radiology, with plans to share expertise across Africa. Regional Health: WHO officials meeting in Cairo urged urgent action across the Eastern Mediterranean, where attacks on health services and funding cuts are straining care. Health Investment: Egypt says rising investment in healthcare and education helped it advance into the high human development category. Emergency Care: Sixty doses of antivenom saved an Egyptian man after a snakebite caused his heart to stop.

Hepatitis C: Egypt has become the first country to retain the WHO’s gold-tier status on the path to eliminating hepatitis C, after sustaining gains in testing, treatment and prevention. Cancer Care: Egyptian Cancer Society head Hisham Ghazaly is the first Egyptian and Arab recipient of a global oncology ambassador award, recognising work in precision medicine and cancer research. Food Safety: Egyptian farmed fish has won approval for export to all 27 EU countries after a two-year overhaul of safety monitoring and regulation. Emergency Care: A 40-year-old farmer in Fayoum was revived after a snakebite and received 60 doses of antivenom in hospital. Cairo Safety: A building collapse in Hadayek El-Qobba killed six people, including three children, and injured seven; authorities are investigating the cause.

Emergency Care: A 40-year-old man in Fayoum survived a life-threatening snakebite after doctors resuscitated him and administered 60 doses of antivenom. He spent three days on a ventilator, underscoring the importance of rapid access to intensive care. Public Health: WHO confirmed Egypt is the first country to retain its Hepatitis C gold status, a major milestone in the fight against the disease. Health Cooperation: Egypt and Oman discussed public-health collaboration, including medical training and workforce development, during the WHO Eastern Mediterranean meeting in Cairo. Building Safety: Six people, including three children, died when a five-storey building collapsed in Cairo; seven others were hospitalized, and nearby buildings were evacuated.

Regional Health Priorities: Health ministers and WHO officials gathered in Cairo for the Eastern Mediterranean committee’s 73rd session, amid health emergencies, disease outbreaks, unequal access to care and mounting financial pressures. Brain Tumour Care: A review in the Egyptian Journal of Neurosurgery warns that patients across Africa are dying while waiting for surgery; in one study, nearly 1 in 4 suitable patients could not get an operation because of resource shortages. Cancer Care: Novartis Egypt highlighted early detection and sticking with treatment as priorities in breast cancer care. Pharma Investment: Semak Pharma plans to double investment in 2027 and expand production in Fayoum.

WHO Regional Health: Ministers and officials met in Cairo to set priorities for the Eastern Mediterranean, where 117 million people face humanitarian need. WHO warned funding cuts have affected nearly 2,000 health facilities and urged stronger domestic investment, with financing, emergency response and disease elimination on the agenda. Breast Cancer Care: Breast cancer accounts for 37.3% of cancer diagnoses among Egyptian women, and an analysis found 56% of patients were diagnosed at an advanced stage. A Novartis Egypt workshop stressed early detection, completing treatment and regular follow-up. Health Financing: Egypt is exploring Indonesia’s experience with health financing and pooled procurement, while separate discussions with WifOR and Roche aim to expand health economics research. Pharma Investment: Semak Pharma plans to double investment in 2027 and expand production in Fayoum.

WHO Regional Priorities: Health ministers and senior officials opened the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region’s annual meeting in Cairo, where they will set priorities for 22 countries and territories. WHO officials cited conflict, disease outbreaks, health inequities, rising chronic illness and financial strain as pressing challenges. Egypt–Indonesia Health Cooperation: Egypt and Indonesia are exploring ways to finance health projects and pool medical-equipment procurement to lower costs and widen access to care. Talks also covered hospital development, cancer services, medical technology and training health workers.

Regional Health Systems: At a WHO meeting in Cairo, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that attacks on healthcare and funding cuts are putting the Eastern Mediterranean’s health services under severe strain. Nearly 2,000 facilities have been affected by funding reductions, he said, urging governments to invest more at home. Medicines & Vaccines: Egypt and the African Union’s development agency agreed on a framework to expand drug and vaccine production across Africa.

Pharmaceuticals: Semak Pharma plans to double investment in 2027 and expand production in Fayoum, a boost to Egypt’s local drug industry. Health Policy: Egypt is exploring health economics research with WifOR and Roche, while a new review examines how regulation and accreditation relate to health workforce quality in lower-income countries. Women’s Health: Egyptian femtech companies are taking on taboos around women’s health. Medical Cover: TMG and AXA Egypt are offering 10-year medical insurance to buyers of units in The Spine development. Cost of Living: Annual inflation reached 12.8% in September as food prices rose, adding pressure on household budgets and nutrition.

Infection Research: Al-Azhar University researchers report that compounds from a soil bacterium found on licorice roots killed MRSA cells, dismantled more than 90% of established biofilms and suppressed genes linked to their formation. The early-stage findings may point to new treatment approaches. Health Coverage: Talaat Moustafa Group and AXA Egypt will offer buyers at The Spine 10 years of medical insurance; Houston Hospital is due to join AXA’s network when it opens in 2027. Women’s Health: Egyptian femtech companies are working to address taboos around women’s health. Pharma Manufacturing: Semak Pharma plans to double investment in 2027 and expand production in Fayoum. Regional Emergency: Egypt’s health ministry said an Egyptian flight attendant died and five people were injured in the Riyadh airport attacks.

Egyptians Affected in Riyadh: An Egyptian flight attendant was among those killed in the airport attacks, and Egypt’s Health Ministry said five Egyptians were injured. Gaza’s Health Crisis: UNRWA’s health chief warns that medical supplies remain scarce and infectious diseases are spreading amid dire hygiene conditions and overcrowding. Health Investment: Egypt is exploring expanded health economics research with WifOR and Roche, while Semak Pharma plans to double investment in 2027 and expand production in Fayoum. Women’s Health: Egyptian femtech initiatives are working to address taboos around women’s health.

Egyptians Hurt in Riyadh: Egypt says a Houthi attack on Riyadh airport killed Egyptian flight attendant Azza Ramzy Mohamed Hassan and injured five other Egyptians, who are receiving hospital care. Border Strike: Sudanese medical and rights groups report miners killed and injured in an airstrike near the Egypt-Sudan border; casualty estimates vary, and responsibility remains unclear. Health Policy: Egypt’s health minister discussed expanding research into how treatments for breast cancer and diabetic retinopathy affect patients’ work and wellbeing, to help guide health decisions. Women’s Health: Egyptian femtech app Aziza uses local dialect and cultural context to answer questions about menstruation and reproductive health amid persistent taboos. Local Pharma: Semak Pharma plans to double investment in 2027 and expand production at its Fayoum facility. Drug Production: Egypt and AUDA-NEPAD agreed on a framework to expand African drug and vaccine manufacturing.

Egyptian Casualty in Riyadh: An Egyptian national was among 12 people killed in the strike on Riyadh’s airport; 309 others were injured, with some in critical condition and treated at hospitals. Airport operations remain suspended as authorities assess the damage. Gaza Medical Aid: Egypt is replacing damaged tents for displaced families and preparing mobile clinics to serve women and children in northern Gaza. Medicine and Vaccines: Egypt and AUDA-NEPAD agreed on a framework to expand African drug and vaccine production. Gaza’s Health Crisis: A year after the ceasefire, large-scale reconstruction has yet to begin, and most of Gaza’s population remains displaced.

Regional Emergency: One Egyptian was among 12 people killed in the Riyadh airport attack; 309 others were injured and treated at hospitals, as airport operations were suspended. African Medicine Production: Egypt and AUDA-NEPAD agreed to develop a framework to expand African production of medicines, vaccines and medical technologies, with discussions covering investment, technology transfer and more resilient supply chains. Gaza Healthcare: A year after the ceasefire, recovery remains stalled and medical needs acute, though nutrition indicators have improved. Food Prices: Egypt’s monthly inflation reached 1.5% in September, with vegetable prices up 15.1%—a fresh strain on household food budgets. Hepatitis C Success: Egypt’s health programme has screened more than 60 million people and provided locally made treatment free to over four million patients, offering a model for stronger African health systems.