Egypt seeks scientific, technical and pharmaceutical partnership with Africa to localize all types of coronavirus vaccines, Egypt's Presidential Adviser for Health Affairs Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din said.
Egypt is hosting the first Africa Health EXCon, the first African health conference in New Cairo, with the participation of around 2,000 delegates representing government health entities from Africa and the Middle East as well as over 350 drugs companies operating in more than 102 countries.
The event aims at showcasing the achievements of the health sector in Egypt, especially its success dealing with several issues, including the elimination of hepatitis C, which until recently was one the country's biggest public health threats, Tag El-Din said in a TV comment on Monday.
Egypt also has several drugs companies, including the Egyptian medical city GYPTO Pharma, that are producing biotechnology drugs that can meet the needs of the country and all Africa, he added.
Egypt is one of the six African countries that were chosen to produce coronavirus vaccines.
Africa has production capabilities that can cover the entire continent, the presidential adviser said, noting that doing so requires "consensus, integration, trust between African nations one another."
The continent has experienced a shortage of drugs and medical equipment on the heels of the coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, he added.
The latest global circumstances demonstrated the need to boost pharmaceutical production across the continent.
Tag El-Din also called for adopting the Egyptian experience with unified procurement at the continent level, echoing comments made by president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi during the inauguration of Africa Health EXCon, where he said such a step could reduce the cost of drugs coming from abroad.
The presidential adviser pointed to the advantages of buying in bulk, saying that buying 1,000 pieces of medical equipment would cost less per unit than the cost of only buying 100 pieces.
Source: Al-Ahram Online
