Part of President El-Sisi"s initiative to help protect 1 million Africans from the disease Initiative was launched in March 2019 CAIRO: Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population Dr. Hala Zayed said on Thursday that 37,961 African citizens from South Sudan, Chad and Eritrea have so far been examined as part of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi"s initiative to help protect 1 million Africans from hepatitis C, which he launched in March 2019. As well as examining patients, the Egyptian medical team is training local medical teams in the three countries, providing knowledge from Egypt’s experience of eliminating hepatitis C, detecting non-communicable diseases, and treatment protocols. The Ministry of Health said 11,964 citizens had been examined in South Sudan, 15,997 in Chad, and 10,000 in Eritrea, adding that free treatment was provided for those who were infected. Three tons of medical aid — including medicines to treat hepatitis C and B, detectors, and medical equipment — has also been sent to South Sudan, where more than 1,000 citizens were examined in the first week of operations at a new hepatic virus unit at the Egyptian clinic in Juba.