SFSD-ELCS announce the Second Phase of “Virus C Free Child" Project

The Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD) and its partner NGO “The Egyptian Liver Care Society (ELCS)” held a seminar on October 15, 2011 in Conrad Hotel entitled "The Role of Civil Society in Supporting Liver patients in Egypt" with the objective of discussing the efforts and contributions of the Egyptian civil organizations in solving the most pressing health problem in Egypt, Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

The Minister of Health and Population Prof. Dr. Amr Helmy, and the Minister of Solidarity and Social Justice Dr. Gouda Abdel-Khalek delivered speeches, in which they confirmed that HCV is still a national problem that requires the combined efforts of the government and civil society to limit its prevalence. They praised the important role assumed by SFSD and ELCS to combat HCV and their ongoing support to the patients with liver diseases in the various governorates of Egypt, especially in light of the annual increase in the number of patients and the inability of many of them to afford the high costs of treatment.

The high prevalence of HCV in Egypt is unique in the world as recent data estimate that about 10% of the Egyptians have been infected, which is twice the world rate, causing the worst damage to the national economy.

In her speech, Dr. Ganat El-Samalouty, the Executive Director of Sawiris Foundation, said that the SFSD projects for combating HCV and providing treatment for liver patients come  on the top priorities of the Foundation’s portfolio in the field of health, with a total fund of more than 91 million pounds. She said that the Foundation’s role in fighting the prevalence of HCV dates back to 2006 when OCI sent 300 workers to work in Algeria, only to find upon their arrival that 160 of them were infected by viral hepatitis. The workers were sent back to Egypt, and Nasef Sawiris decided to fund the first comprehensive awareness-raising campaigns for the prevention of HCV and to provide treatment for those infected. This project has been implemented by the Foundation in collaboration with the Association for the Protection of the Environment in areas inhibited by garbage collectors such as Torah, Monshaet Nasser and Katameya.

In 2008, she said, the SFSD-ELCS liver transplantation support program began under the supervision of the National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute, where the Foundation has afforded a third of the cost of liver transplantation surgery for those unable, in addition to the post-surgery financial support. The liver trasplantation surgery costs between 200 and 400 thousand pounds.  So far, 308 patients have been supported under SFSD-ELCS liver transplantation support program.

The ELCS was established by Youssriya Loza -Sawiris in collaboration with the National Committee for Control of Viral Hepatitis, to respond to the urgent need to provide liver care for Egyptian patients affected by the disease. One of the society’s goal is to raise LE 100 million to create awareness and financially support those in need of Liver transplants and various liver disease treatments.

Mrs. Loza Sawiris announced during the seminar that "Virus C Free Child" Project, another milestone of the SFSD-ELCS programs and the first of its kind on the national level, has ended its first phase successfully, with 322 children treated in 6 centers nationwide. She also announced the beginning of the second phase of the project, pledging to provide all possible support to those infected with the disease for life.

The seminar's key speakers included:

• Prof. Dr. Madiha Khattab, Professor of Internal Medicine, Cairo University and ELCS Vice Chair;
• Prof. Dr. Waheed Dos, Head of the National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute (NHTMR) of the Ministry of Health and ELCS Secretary General
• Prof. Dr. Abdel-Hamid Abaza, Deputy Minister of Health and ELCS Board Member
• Prof. Dr. Manal El-Sayed, Professor of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University and ELCS Board Member
• Prof. Dr. Gamal EL-Din Essmat, Professor of Hepatology, Gastroenterology, and Infectious Diseases at Cairo University
• Prof. Dr. Imam Waked, Former Dean of the National Liver Institute

At the end of the seminar, some success stories were highlighted and the participants enjoyed listening to the "Testimonies" of patients who have recovered thanks to the SFSD-ELCS projects.