The Health Ministry plans to establish a dedicated migrant health unit to oversee access to healthcare and coordinate referrals for treatment under an agreement with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) aimed at expanding health services for migrants and host communities.
The memorandum of understanding includes support for the early detection and treatment of HIV, the provision of medicines and field screening campaigns for migrants at specialised hospitals, with the IOM covering the cost of the screenings, the ministry said in a statement.
The agreement also covers vaccination campaigns, public health programmes, mental health and addiction treatment, as well as equipment, supplies and medicines for blood donation services and support for national programmes targeting respiratory diseases.
Deputy Health Minister for Preventive Affairs Amr Kandil and IOM Egypt Chief of Mission Carlos Oliver signed the agreement in the presence of Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar.
Abdel Ghaffar said the new unit would monitor implementation of the agreement and coordinate referrals for migrants requiring medical treatment. The partnership will also focus on building the capacity of healthcare providers and training medical personnel.
Training will include specialised courses for doctors, nurses and other medical teams, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, while the agreement also provides for improvements to health facility infrastructure.
The ministry said the two sides would work on responses to health challenges associated with population pressures and migration flows, including emergency cases, and establish mechanisms to regularly evaluate the programme.
Oliver said the IOM would provide technical and financial support to help cover healthcare costs and improve services available to migrants.
