The hotline is part of efforts to ease burdens on citizens, where securing drugs is concerned, the EDA said in a statement Sunday.

It is a 24-hour service, said EDA spokesman Aly el Meghawry, noting that citizens will be advised about the nearest place to find the drugs they need.

This is a strategy to early detect any medicine shortage with the aim to meet demands of the local market and government hospitals, Meghawry added.