Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has called on the new government to provide the essential prospects of the national treatment programme of hepatitis C in the country.

During a meeting on Tuesday with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Health Minister Hala Zayed, Finance Minister Mohamed Moeit, and other top officials, Al-Sisi stressed that the aim of the programme is to eliminate the disease in Egypt.

Al-Sisi further urged the government to quickly complete preparing and improving public and university hospitals, asserting providing underprivileged citizens with high-standard levels of service.

Furthermore, Al-Sisi also called upon officials to consider a possible coordination with NGOs to end the urgent waiting lists of surgery patients and others of chronic diseases, as well as ensuring safety measures in blood banks.

Zayed reviewed recent updates of the ministry’s activities during the meeting, noting that 3,000 out of 12,000 patients were treated so far from the waiting lists. She added that necessary measures are being taken to treat the remaining patients.

Meanwhile, Moeit asserted that the top priorities in the upcoming period are for health and education sectors concerning the funding basis.