Tahya Misr allocates LE 1 billion to fund 218k eye surgeries

CAIRO - 7 February 2019: Egypt's national Tahya Misr (Long Live Egypt) Fund announced allocating LE 1 billion ($56.8 million) to support "Nour al-Hayah," a presidential initiative that aims at treating locals suffering from vision problems.

The money funded by Tahya Misr will help carry out 200,000 cataract surgeries, 15,000 glaucoma surgeries, and 3,000 corneal transplantations, Mohamed Mokhtar, the media coordinator of Tahya Misr Fund said in an interview with al-Hayah al-Youm.

The first phase of the initiative will be launched on Thursday in Suez and Ismailia governorates to examine adults, Mokhtar said, adding that medical convoys will also start providing check-ups for primary schools' students on Sunday.

Late in January, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi announced in a ceremony launching "Nour al-Hayah" initiative, saying that Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Waly complained that many of the school children in the country suffer serious vision problems and need surgical intervention.

The initiative targets treating 5 million primary school students in the country, providing a million eyeglasses, and carrying out 250,000 eye surgeries.

During the ceremony, Sisi also announced the establishment of as many as 1,000 kidney dialysis units bankrolled by Tahya Misr Fund to mainly serve children with kidney failure.