This came during the Fourth edition of Al-Ahram Foundation Pharmaceutical Conference, which kicked off on Saturday under the theme: “Facing Challenges and Promoting Innovation”

During the third session of the Conference, Wanes highlighted the partnership between Bayer and the health ministry's Family Planning Sector.

This partnership involves signing a protocol to provide two advanced simulation devices to improve the skills of gynaecologists in using innovative and modern contraceptive methods that meet international standards at two distinguished education and training centres within the Ministry of Health’s sustainable education and training centres.

Dr Wanes emphasized that Bayer Limited Egypt is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Egypt and globally, with its slogan "Science for a Better Life," owing to its major contributions to the discovery, development, and manufacturing of drugs in various important healthcare fields.

The company aims to make a real impact on patients lives, believing in its essential role in providing the best services to Egyptian patients by improving healthcare services, partnering with medical institutions, and aligning with the company’s global vision to lay the foundation for improving health and nutrition, under the slogan "Health for All, Hunger for None."

For over 50 years, Bayer has supported rights-based family planning and education programs in more than 130 countries.

Key pillars
 

Furthermore, Wanes pointed out that this collaboration is part of a broader vision with three key pillars.

The first pillar involves providing the best long-acting contraceptive methods for Egyptian women, specifically "Mirena," one of the most advanced contraceptive methods worldwide.

The necessary quantities are supplied to meet the needs of the Family Planning Sector at the Ministry of Health at the lowest cost globally.

In addition, the hormonal intrauterine device (IUD) provides safe and effective contraception with 100 percent reliability and no side effects for all women, including those with special conditions like heavy menstrual bleeding and anaemia.

Since 2022, 270,000 Mirena hormonal IUDs have been provided to support Egyptian women.

The second pillar focuses on raising awareness among women to empower them to make scientifically informed decisions and offer support in choosing the best contraceptive method for a better life.

This is achieved through innovative digital communication channels, such as social media platforms, and includes launching the first educational website certified by the Egyptian Drug Authority, www.your-life-eg.com.

The third pillar involves an ambitious project to build sustainable capacities that enhance the skills of gynaecologists to provide high-level healthcare in line with international standards. This has already been achieved through the launch of the "MINT Program," which successfully trained over 1,500 gynaecologists in 350 Ministry of Health centres, in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo University’s Qasr Al-Aini, on modern contraceptive techniques using simulation devices.

Moreover, over 700 doctors have received practical training on fitting the Mirena hormonal IUD under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and Bayer Global medical supervisors.

Five-year partnership
 

Wanes also noted that these initiatives complement previous efforts, including a strategic five-year partnership between Bayer Global and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), supporting the long-term "Your Right to Organize" campaign with a total investment of 330,000 euros.

This aims to provide modern contraceptives to 200,000 women and raise educational awareness for 300,000 women through mobile clinics across various Egyptian governorates, offering healthcare services to marginalized groups.

These services include gynaecological exams, ultrasound diagnostics, prenatal care, and pediatric and neonatal care. The campaign also holds awareness seminars targeting women of reproductive age to emphasize the importance of family planning and the benefits of small families, in addition to empowering women across Egypt.

Liver cancer initiative
 

The head of Bayer in North Africa added that the liver cancer initiative, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Population, is part of Bayer's global initiative for sustainable oncology.

This initiative focuses on creating equitable ecosystems for cancer care in low- to middle-income countries around the world, where disparities in cancer outcomes exist.

He explained that the sustainability initiative for the early detection and treatment of liver cancer, under the "100 Million Health," initiative and supervised by the Ministry of Health and Population in cooperation with Bayer Pharmaceuticals in Egypt, is based on five main pillars: developing unified national treatment protocols for liver cancer patients, meeting the needs for oral treatments, building capacities for early diagnosis and screening, establishing platforms to disseminate data across initiative centres, and launching national awareness campaigns for liver cancer patients.

Through this initiative, over 120,000 citizens have been screened, 5,000 patients diagnosed, and 3,500 patients received oral treatment.