Egyptian–Libyan Workshop on Development of Primary Healthcare Held

Cairo hosted a joint Egyptian–Libyan workshop that focused on several key themes, including the transformation of primary health care, the presidential initiative “The Golden Thousand Days” for the development of the Egyptian family, the promotion of health equity, the expansion of digital solutions and mobile health applications, as well as the development of environmentally friendly health services that are inclusive of refugees.

A delegation from the Ministry of Health of the Government of National Unity participated in the event. From the Egyptian side, Deputy Minister of Health Abla Al-Alfi took part, stressing that the workshop is the result of ongoing coordination with the Libyan side to address shared challenges; most notably the rising rates of cesarean deliveries, thereby enabling the exchange of expertise between the two countries, according to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Health published on its Facebook page on December 26.

Al-Alfi reviewed Egypt’s experience in developing primary health care through a comprehensive transformation of approximately 5,400 health units, with a focus on the most underserved areas, and the preparation of a unified operational manual to be converted into an electronic application to support quality and accreditation.

She also pointed to the adoption of a task-shifting strategy to address physician shortages, and the launch of the “Our Guests” initiative to provide family counseling for refugees. She emphasized that the "Golden Thousand Days" initiative has brought about a qualitative shift in promoting natural childbirth and spacing between pregnancies, alongside a noticeable improvement in women’s awareness.

She concluded by stressing the launching of a digital platform to analyze health services data, which supports decision-making based on accurate indicators and contributes to the sustainability of digital transformation in the primary health care system.