Speech of His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar

His Excellency Eng. Tariq El Molla, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources,

Her Excellency Dr. Nevine Al-Kabbaj, Minister of Social Solidarity,

His Excellency Ambassador Michael Caron, Ambassador of the Italian Republic to the Arab Republic of Egypt,

His Grace Monsignor Yoannis Lahzi Gaid, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Human Fraternity Foundation,

Distinguished guests of honor,

Ladies and Gentlemen... Distinguished Guests,

It gives me great pleasure to attend with you today on my own behalf, and on behalf of His Excellency Minister Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population, due to his presence outside the country, and I am honored to convey to you the greetings and appreciation of His Excellency.

I would like to begin by conveying my sincere congratulations to all of you on the occasion of the inauguration of the Bambino Gesu (Child Jesus) Hospital branch in the New Administrative Capital.

This distinguished hospital bears an additional symbol that reflects the depth of the close friendly relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Italian Republic.

In this regard, I am pleased to express the deepest gratitude of the Egyptian government and people for the kindness of His Holiness, the Pope of the Vatican, to grant this valuable gift during the first visit of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic to the Vatican in November 2014, which was reaffirmed during the visit of His Holiness the Pope to Cairo In April 2019.

There is no doubt that the value of this gift is doubled, given that Bambino Gesu Hospital is one of the oldest and most experienced hospitals in the world in the field of treating various rare genetic and genetic diseases in children, whether those that require medical treatment or surgical intervention.

It is a matter of pride that the first branch in the world of Bambino Gesu Hospital was established in the new administrative capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt, to represent a lofty medical edifice.

It should be noted in this context that this important event coincides on the one hand with the tireless efforts made by the Egyptian state regarding the diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic diseases for children, especially in light of their increase as a result of the prevalence of consanguineous marriage.

On the other hand, it meets the requirements for implementing the comprehensive plan that the Ministry of Health and Population has been working on in order to improve genetic services in Egypt, and directs the state to establish a reference hospital for early diagnosis and treatment of those diseases that cost the state budget exorbitant expenses, whether at the level of diagnosis or treatment.

His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi directed the establishment of a group of advanced laboratories specialized in genetic tests of various kinds, in order to ensure the speed and ease of diagnosing these diseases.

In the same context, the state pays special attention to the need for prevention and early intervention in the field of disabilities, by addressing three main dimensions:

Establishing an integrated system for treatment and rehabilitation based on documentation records;

And the launch of several prevention and early detection programs for diseases: pre-marital care consultations, a maternity program that covers all stages of prenatal care, maternity and newborn care, and postpartum care, with a focus on congenital malformations and early detection of the causes of mental retardation, and a program Newborn screening, child care program to monitor child growth and development, immunization and nutrition. In addition to supporting rehabilitation centers and adopting the concept of community rehabilitation;

In addition, high priority is given to increasing investments to fund research in medical genetics and genomics.

In light of this, the great importance of the project to establish a branch of Bambino Gesu Hospital (Child Jesus), which the Arab Republic of Egypt, government, and people, receives with all appreciation and gratitude from His Holiness the Pope of the Vatican and the friendly Italian Republic.

Together, let us salute the bonds of friendship and cooperation between our two countries and people, and together we may continue the process of developing and expanding it to include more broad horizons, wishing that our efforts will be crowned with all success.

Peace, mercy, and blessings of God

Speech of His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar

Which was delivered on his behalf by Dr. Mohamed El-Tayeb.