Why are we there?
- Maternal health
- healthcare exclusion
Latest links
- Egypt: Médecins Sans Frontières supports hospitals and networks of doctors
- MSF responds to civil unrest in Arab countries
- Egypt: MSF responds in Tahrir Square and key cities
Our work
This is an extract from our latest Activity Report, looking back on our work in the previous year.
2013
Migrants and people living in remote areas of Egypt have difficulty accessing medical services.
At Abu Elian clinic, on the outskirts of Cairo, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) offers healthcare to mothers and children under five.
In 2013, an average of 1,700 consultations were carried out each month; 70 per cent of patients were young children suffering from respiratory tract infections, intestinal parasites, skin diseases and diarrhoea. MSF also provides transport and covers hospital costs for pregnant women in the clinic’s 24-hour emergency referral system.
Assistance for vulnerable groups
Many migrants and refugees living in Egypt are victims of violence. In 2013, MSF continued to offer mental healthcare (742 new patients, 2,530 follow-up sessions) and treatment to victims of sexual violence (305 new cases, 960 follow-up sessions) at the Nasr City mental health clinic in Cairo.
Expanding treatment for hepatitis C
There is a very high prevalence of hepatitis C in Egypt; it is estimated that around 12 per cent of the general population are infected. For the last two years, MSF has been in discussions with the National Committee for Viral Hepatitis about a hepatitis C project aiming to improve patient adherence to treatment by decentralising their medical care.
In rural areas in particular, overcoming cost and distance could markedly improve patients’ cure rates. Approval was received in early 2014 to launch the first phase of the project in Fayoum governorate, south of Cairo.
Winter relief and medical training
During the especially harsh 2013–2014 winter, MSF teams in Cairo and Alexandria supported vulnerable families who had been identified by local health partners, providing medical and psychiatric consultations and distributing washing kits and blankets.
MSF also trained a number of volunteer Egyptian doctors in Cairo, including some Egyptian Ministry of Health personnel, so that they could respond quickly and effectively to medical needs on the spot during demonstrations. Training included how to deal with large numbers of wounded.
At the end of 2013, MSF had 85 staff in Egypt. MSF has been working in the country since 2010.
Egypt is a key transit and destination country for African and Middle Eastern refugees and migrants, many of whom have been subjected to violence or persecution in their home countries.
Médecins Sans Frontières first started working in Egypt in 2010 providing healthcare those who would otherwise be excluded from accessing it, and responding to disease outbreaks, such as hepatitis C.
Fleeing Conflict
The number of migrants arriving in Egypt has risen sharply in recent years due to conflict and instabilities in several nearby nations, such as Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, and Libya. Some have experienced violence and exploitation in their home countries, as well during their journeys to Egypt.
Many have psychological problems and physical disabilities. Migrants in Egypt are struggling with poor services integration, limited employment opportunities, and difficulties in accessing healthcare due to a lack of funding.
Since 2012, the MSF project in Cairo has been developing individual rehabilitative treatment plans for these patients, consisting of medical and mental health assistance, physiotherapy and social support.
MSF’s Activity in Egypt
In response to the specific needs of this community, MSF runs an integrated healthcare centre in the Maadi neighborhood in Cairo which provides a novel multidisciplinary approach to its treatment. The centre has developed an integrated approach providing people with different services including gynaecology, physiotherapy, mental health support, as well an integral social component to help people find housing, work and access to other services.
A group of health promoters and cultural mediators accompany them in their recovery process, making sure that cultural aspects are considered in the provision of medical and social services.
The majority of our patients come with symptoms of trauma: disturbing thoughts, nightmares and other sleep problems, panic attacks or chronic pain symptoms, depression and anxiety, fear and worry, and feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. The hopelessness leads to many of our patients considering suicide as the only option to reduce their suffering.
MSF is engaged in continued discussions with the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, and national medical institutions, regarding establishing partnership projects in key public health areas.