The initiative "100 million healthy people" offers Egyptian refugees a permanent kiss



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On the occasion of the International Day of Hepatitis, which is held on July 28 each year, UNHCR in Egypt highlighted the efforts of the Cairo Government to ensure a healthy and disease-free life. to refugees residing on its territory when it decided to include them on the list of free treatments. Is presented to the Egyptians as part of the initiative "100 million healthy people".

Elaf from Cairo: UNHCR said in a report that this year was different for refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt, where the dream of living a life without an epidemic of hepatitis.

UNHCR has highlighted the story of a Sudanese refugee living in Egypt who was recovering from hepatitis after receiving free treatment as part of the initiative for health, financed by the initiative of the President of the Republic, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

"Every year, refugees travel more than two million kilometers in search of safety, but Khalid's difficult journey is more difficult than most people because of his hepatitis, a disease that haunts hundreds of thousands of people. every year in the world, "said researcher Radwa Othman. .

Khaled, 54, was forced to leave Sudan after losing his sense of security and endangering his life and family life. He fled to Egypt in 2009 with his four children and was handicapped by a disability that limited his chances of getting a job with memories of his life, which haunts him daily in his new and difficult life.

Arriving in Cairo, his only hope was to obtain international protection and ensure a decent standard of living for his family, but on a dark night, Khaled learned that he was suffering from hepatitis and started a new life. chapter of suffering in search of a cure for his illness.

Khaled gets up early on the 24th of each month. He lunched with his family at the dining room table, where they had their beautiful day in his rented apartment in one of Cairo's bustling neighborhoods, then went to their partner, UNHCR, Save the Children .

"Saving money for treatment and monitoring of my health is very difficult for someone like me who does not work and who has to raise four children," says Khalid. "All the material benefits we receive from UNHCR and its partners are spent on our daily needs, as well as on child-rearing expenses," Khaled said.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has registered more than 249,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt until June 2019, including more than 43,000 from Sudan. They represent the second largest nationality of refugees living in Egypt.

The search for affordable treatments and endless queues in the life of Khaled and his family has become a daily routine since the diagnosis of his hepatitis C.

In the afternoon of March 23 this year, Khaled Touk had the life that he had been waiting for for several months after answering a phone call from Save the Children telling him that he had right to free treatment by the Ministry of Health and Population as part of the National "100 Million Health" campaign.

In October 2018, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced a campaign against hepatitis C in Egypt of the order of 100 million people by 2023. In March 2019, the campaign it is extended to all foreigners living in Egypt, including refugees and asylum seekers, Detection and free treatment for those who suffer from the disease.

Khalid gathered all his medical reports and brought them to the National Institute of Research on Endemic Diseases and Liver of Al-Qasr al-Aini Hospital in March, becoming the first refugee to receive a free treatment by the Ministry of Health with the support of the World Health Organization and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

"The Ministry of Health and Population has always been one of UNHCR's closest partners," said Karim Atbadi, UNHCR Representative in the Arab Republic of Egypt and the League of Arab States. .

"We appreciate all the efforts of the Egyptian government to include refugees and asylum seekers in" 100 million healthy people "on an equal footing with Egyptian citizens."

Now, I will not worry more about my health and I can work to provide a better future for my children, "Khalid said.

Through its partners and the World Health Organization (WHO), UNHCR continues to monitor the health situation of Khalid and other treated refugees by providing them with medical examinations during and after treatment.

The Egyptian Government has granted refugees and asylum seekers of all nationalities access to primary and secondary health care and public emergency on an equal footing with citizens. Egyptian since 2016.

More recently, the national government's tuberculosis and HIV programs, aimed at eliminating infectious diseases in Egypt, have expanded to include refugees and asylum seekers.

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