Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population said it has provided early screening services for four types of cancer to more than 19.4 million people since June 2023 and carried out free medical examinations for more than four million pregnant women since March 2020.

In a statement, the ministry said the cancer screening programme covers lung, prostate, colorectal, and cervical cancers and is available to people aged 18 and above under Egypt’s “100 Million Health” initiative.

Screening begins with an electronic questionnaire to assess symptoms and risk factors. People suspected of having cancer are then referred for advanced diagnostic tests, while confirmed or high-risk cases are reviewed by multidisciplinary medical committees to determine the appropriate treatment plan.

Individuals whose initial results are negative are advised to undergo regular follow-up examinations, the ministry added.

Khaled Abdel Aziz, Executive Director of the cancer screening initiative, said the programme has detected a large number of cancer cases at an early stage and referred tens of thousands of people to smoking cessation clinics. However, the ministry did not disclose figures on confirmed diagnoses or treatment outcomes.

Separately, the ministry said more than four million pregnant women have received free medical examinations under its Maternal and Foetal Health Initiative since its launch in March 2020.

The programme screens pregnant women for hepatitis B, HIV, and syphilis, as well as other conditions that may be transmitted from mother to child.

Services include clinical examinations, blood pressure, height and weight measurements, blood and urine tests, tetanus vaccination, and assessments to determine whether mothers require an Anti-D injection after delivery.

The ministry added that women and newborns are monitored for 42 days after childbirth, with nutritional supplements and micronutrients provided throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period.