Egypt Commits to Comprehensive African Cancer Care System
The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population has reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to supporting the establishment of a comprehensive African system for cancer care. This initiative aims to enhance continental partnerships, expand early detection, diagnosis, and treatment services, ultimately improving patient outcomes across the continent.
This announcement was made during Egypt’s participation in the session titled “Cancer Care Africa (CCA) in Egypt: Supporting and Enhancing Cancer Patient Care Systems,” at the Africa Health ExCon 2026. The event saw participation from a host of experts and specialists in oncology from Egypt and other African nations.
Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the ministry’s spokesperson, emphasized that Egypt’s involvement in the Cancer Care Africa initiative stems from a belief that addressing the cancer burden requires collective responses and effective partnerships. He highlighted the importance of scaling successful models, bridging gaps, and fostering collaboration to create an integrated African cancer care system that delivers sustainable health outcomes.
In his remarks during the session, Dr. Mohamed Hassany, Assistant Minister for Public Health Initiatives, noted that more than half of cancer-related deaths are preventable. This underscores the necessity of investing in prevention programs, early detection, and capacity building. He presented data showing that in 2024, the CCA initiative screened over 160,000 individuals and diagnosed more than 6,000 patients while training over 13,000 health workers across the continent.
Dr. Hassany also pointed out significant Egyptian investments in cancer care services as part of a comprehensive health transformation strategy. He mentioned the success of the presidential initiative for women’s health, which screened over 23 million women and identified more than 38,000 cases of malignant tumors. Additionally, he highlighted the early detection and treatment initiative that examined over 16 million citizens. He stressed the importance of enhancing diagnostic services through the National Digital Pathology Network project and expressed readiness to share this experience with African countries.
The ministry also participated in a panel discussion titled “Creating Community Value in Healthcare: From Evidence to Policy Making in Egypt,” where Dr. Hassany affirmed that Egypt is undergoing a strategic transformation in health investment. This approach views health as a long-term investment in human capital and an engine for economic growth. He called for adopting a “community value” concept when evaluating health policies to achieve maximum health and economic returns while supporting the objectives of the National Health Strategy 2030.
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