CAIRO - 23 May 2026: Dr. Abla El-Alfy, Deputy Minister of Health and Population, met with Dr. Tania Margarita Cruz Hernandez, First Deputy Minister of Public Health of Cuba, and her accompanying delegation, on the sidelines of the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva.
The two sides discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation within the framework of the cooperation protocol signed between the two countries, focusing on developing the primary healthcare system in Egypt.
The meeting included discussions on implementing the basic services package, promoting self-care, developing services for chronic diseases and elderly care, as well as cooperation in childcare during the "Golden 1,000 Days" initiative.
The two sides also discussed opportunities for cooperation in the areas of digital transformation and artificial intelligence applications to improve the efficiency of primary healthcare services, in addition to mechanisms for importing Egyptian pharmaceuticals.
They agreed to expedite the renewal of the protocol for importing Egyptian insulin, expand cooperation on medications for chronic diseases, and exchange technical visits to enhance shared expertise.
In a related context, Dr. Abla El-Alfy, during a side event titled “Protecting 26 Million Women and 20 Million Children from Sepsis: A Global Health Imperative,” reviewed the Egyptian model for combating sepsis. She emphasized that this disease causes one in five deaths worldwide, noting that 2021 saw approximately 166 million cases and 21.4 million related deaths.
She explained that the Egyptian transformation is based on four main pillars: universal health coverage, reducing maternal and child mortality, the sound management of antimicrobials, and enhancing pandemic preparedness.
She pointed to Egypt's shift from fragmented interventions to a “connected care” model, which provides an integrated health pathway that begins before birth and continues through the first 1,000 days of life.
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