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Egyptian National and Strategic Development Projects: News and Updates

Egypt's Sisi inaugurates major tunnel, bridge projects at East Suez Canal development zone
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Ahram Online , Saturday 23 Dec 2017

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated on Saturday several development projects in the East Suez Canal development zone in northern Ismailia, including tunnels and two floating bridges to facilitate commercial and civilian access to Sinai and the East Suez Canal Development Zone.

The inauguration was attended by Minister of Defence Sedky Sobhy, head of the Suez Canal Authority Mohamed Mamish, Ismailia’s Governor Yasseen Taher, and Ibrahim Mahlab, the president’s adviser on national development projects.

The East Suez Canal development project, which is part of the larger Suez Canal development plans, was launched in 2015. The project aims to develop major residential and industrial centres in the central Suez Canal governorate of Ismailia.

Ahmed Fouda, the deputy head of the Armed Forces’ engineering authority, which oversaw the projects since their inception in 2015, said the projects were accomplished by several Egyptian companies, including Petrojet, Orascom and Arab Contractors.

The president described the completion of the construction of the tunnels in less than one-and-a-half years, instead of the initial estimate of 12 years, as an achievement.

Fouda said one tunnel in northern Ismailia – connecting Egypt's northwestern city of Salloum to the vital North Sinai Al-Awja road – is 5,820 metres in length.

He explained that 4,830 metres of the tunnel were constructed through trenchless technology and 990 meters were completed through open cut drilling.

Fouda said that another tunnel in southern Port Said – which connects Salloum to North Sinai’s Rafah – is 3,920 metres-long, with 2,851 metres constructed with trenchless technology and 1,069 metres through open cut drilling.

Fouda said that Suez Canal traffic was not disrupted by the drilling process.

El-Sisi announced during the inauguration speech that the housing ministry has been mandated with implementing a major urban development project that should be finalised within two to three years at a cost of EGP 100 billion in North Sinai, starting in Bir El-Abd, last month's site of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Egypt’s modern history, where gunmen killed 311 people at Al-Rawda Mosque during Friday prayers.

“The more we endure, the more we’ll move forward. Do not believe that success happens without hard work,” El-Sisi said.

El-Sisi also inaugurated two floating bridges in Ismailia and Qantara, which are named after Ahmed El-Mansi and Abanoub Gerges; two army personnel who were killed in Sinai in the line of duty in recent years.

The president also inspected the Suez Canal Authority’s giant oil service vessel Ahmed Fadel, which is named after the former chairman of the authority.

The Ahmed Fadel vessel is the largest in the region at a length of 90 meters, a width of 18.8 meters, and a capacity of 4,744 tonnes, according to a televised report on the event.

The Egyptian president also inaugurated the second phase of the fish farm project, at an area of 7,500 feddans of saltwater.

According to the report, the fish farm project aims to achieve self sufficiency in the supply of animal protein.

The number of ponds in the second phase is 4,441, which is the continuation of the first phase that started in December 2016.

The new phase comes nearly a year after El-Sisi inaugurated a major fish farming project in the Suez Canal zone governorate of Ismailia in December 2016, in an attempt to narrow the gap between production and consumption.

During his speech, the president promised that by the end of his term in May 2018, he would provide the Egyptian people with a balance sheet of his accomplishments during his time in office.

El-Sisi said that the projects to develop the Suez Canal aim at “allowing us to have a presence on our land in Sinai.”

The president added that the Armed Forces will achieve security in Sinai using the “utmost force.”

“[We would rather] die than let anyone [endanger] our land,” El-Sisi said, adding that Egyptians should not fear any external threat.

 
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Egypt's Sisi inaugurates major tunnel, bridge projects at East Suez Canal development zone
~1505644832680490_L.jpg


Ahram Online , Saturday 23 Dec 2017

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated on Saturday several development projects in the East Suez Canal development zone in northern Ismailia, including tunnels and two floating bridges to facilitate commercial and civilian access to Sinai and the East Suez Canal Development Zone.

The inauguration was attended by Minister of Defence Sedky Sobhy, head of the Suez Canal Authority Mohamed Mamish, Ismailia’s Governor Yasseen Taher, and Ibrahim Mahlab, the president’s adviser on national development projects.

The East Suez Canal development project, which is part of the larger Suez Canal development plans, was launched in 2015. The project aims to develop major residential and industrial centres in the central Suez Canal governorate of Ismailia.

Ahmed Fouda, the deputy head of the Armed Forces’ engineering authority, which oversaw the projects since their inception in 2015, said the projects were accomplished by several Egyptian companies, including Petrojet, Orascom and Arab Contractors.

The president described the completion of the construction of the tunnels in less than one-and-a-half years, instead of the initial estimate of 12 years, as an achievement.

Fouda said one tunnel in northern Ismailia – connecting Egypt's northwestern city of Salloum to the vital North Sinai Al-Awja road – is 5,820 metres in length.

He explained that 4,830 metres of the tunnel were constructed through trenchless technology and 990 meters were completed through open cut drilling.

Fouda said that another tunnel in southern Port Said – which connects Salloum to North Sinai’s Rafah – is 3,920 metres-long, with 2,851 metres constructed with trenchless technology and 1,069 metres through open cut drilling.

Fouda said that Suez Canal traffic was not disrupted by the drilling process.

El-Sisi announced during the inauguration speech that the housing ministry has been mandated with implementing a major urban development project that should be finalised within two to three years at a cost of EGP 100 billion in North Sinai, starting in Bir El-Abd, last month's site of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Egypt’s modern history, where gunmen killed 311 people at Al-Rawda Mosque during Friday prayers.

“The more we endure, the more we’ll move forward. Do not believe that success happens without hard work,” El-Sisi said.

El-Sisi also inaugurated two floating bridges in Ismailia and Qantara, which are named after Ahmed El-Mansi and Abanoub Gerges; two army personnel who were killed in Sinai in the line of duty in recent years.

The president also inspected the Suez Canal Authority’s giant oil service vessel Ahmed Fadel, which is named after the former chairman of the authority.

The Ahmed Fadel vessel is the largest in the region at a length of 90 meters, a width of 18.8 meters, and a capacity of 4,744 tonnes, according to a televised report on the event.

The Egyptian president also inaugurated the second phase of the fish farm project, at an area of 7,500 feddans of saltwater.

According to the report, the fish farm project aims to achieve self sufficiency in the supply of animal protein.

The number of ponds in the second phase is 4,441, which is the continuation of the first phase that started in December 2016.

The new phase comes nearly a year after El-Sisi inaugurated a major fish farming project in the Suez Canal zone governorate of Ismailia in December 2016, in an attempt to narrow the gap between production and consumption.

During his speech, the president promised that by the end of his term in May 2018, he would provide the Egyptian people with a balance sheet of his accomplishments during his time in office.

El-Sisi said that the projects to develop the Suez Canal aim at “allowing us to have a presence on our land in Sinai.”

The president added that the Armed Forces will achieve security in Sinai using the “utmost force.”

“[We would rather] die than let anyone [endanger] our land,” El-Sisi said, adding that Egyptians should not fear any external threat.


That tunnel-boring machine is quite the marvel of technology. Those two tunnels in Ismailiya and Port Said are a long time coming. Imagine those poor truck drivers who have to wait 5 days to cross the canal? And that one suspension bridge is hardly adequate, never mind the ferries.

The amount of concrete for the ring casts that they pre-poured to form all the rings for the tunnel shell is crazy, as well as all the rebars they've use for a pair of projects like these. Stabilizing the bored hole and the assembly of the rings shell is fascinating.

It looks well designed also with ventilation outlets and emergency exits to the opposite tunnels. Good stuff. I can't help but think of security issues until the vermin are completely exterminated. You would think that will be a issue and not sure how they would resolve that.
 
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That tunnel-boring machine is quite the marvel of technology. Those two tunnels in Ismailiya and Port Said are a long time coming. Imagine those poor truck drivers who have to wait 5 days to cross the canal? And that one suspension bridge is hardly adequate, never mind the ferries.

The amount of concrete for the ring casts that they pre-poured to form all the rings for the tunnel shell is crazy, as well as all the rebars they've use for a pair of projects like these. Stabilizing the bored hole and the assembly of the rings shell is fascinating.

It looks well designed also with ventilation outlets and emergency exits to the opposite tunnels. Good stuff. I can't help but think of security issues until the vermin are completely exterminated. You would think that will be a issue and not sure how they would resolve that.

It is indeed quite the formidable structure. To think that all the tunnel lining concrete shells were entirely produced by egyptian professionals and delivered in such timely and accurate manner is a great source of pride. The quality control must've been quite strict for this to turn out to be such an impressive structure. Take my word for it, even an inch of discrepancy in the dimensions can cause all sorts of problems.

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In other news, The Egyptian parliament has passed the universal healthcare bill. Thanks Ob... I mean thanks Sisi. :dance3:

Egypt Parliament Approves New Comprehensive Health Insurance Bill

Egyptian Streets
December 20, 2017

The Egyptian parliament approved this week a comprehensive EGP 600 billion health insurance bill in a milestone social policy win for the Sherif Ismail cabinet.

The bill was approved following meetings between parliament’s Health Affairs committee, Minister of Health Ahmed Emad al-Din, and other officials.

According to press statements made by Emad al-Din earlier in October, the Universal Health Care Act will be affordable for the average citizen and will be provided to each and every Egyptian. It will be implemented gradually between 2018 and 2032.

Subscription to the health coverage plan will be compulsory.

The 70-article law will be funded through various sources, including taxes on the sales revenue of public and private companies, hospitals and health clinics and on cigarettes and tobacco, along with premiums paid by employers, fees for issuing and renewing driver’s licenses and donations and subscription fees paid by citizens.

About 23.7 million citizens who fall under the poverty line and cannot afford subscription fees will be entirely exempted from fees. According to earlier statements by Emad al-Din, fees will range between EGP 1,300 and EGP 4,000 per year, depending on income.

Finance Minister Amr El Garhy said that the approved bill is expected to be signed into law and come into effect in early 2018.

Egypt has been working for over two years to prepare the infrastructure of the state’s hospitals in preparation for the new health insurance program.

The parliamentary debate on the bill saw altercations between some members of the parliament and the ministers of health and finance regarding how the system will be funded. While several MPs questioned the sources of funding included in the actuarial study presented to the parliament, the minster of finance refused to introduce any amendments. Among the amendments suggested by the MPs were increasing the fees paid by the citizens and deciding on other funding sources to cover the cost of the insurance system and to assure its efficient operation.

One alteration that did come into effect was that the tax that public and private companies will pay on their sales revenue was lowered from the original 0.5 percent to 0.0025 percent.

The new system will kick off in Port Said governorate as it has sufficient resources and readiness to implement the new system.

Emad al-Din stated that foreign citizens will not benefit from the new system.

The bill was drafted by 22 health insurance officials, bankers, and academic physicians. It has been in the making for six years. Currently, Egypt has an insurance system that covers only about 60 percent of Egyptians, costing EGP 112.
 
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^^ Big step. Egypt has the highest population of diabetes per capita, as well as Hepatitis is a HUGE problem.
I don't know if many of you were too young or worn't even born yet to remember back in the late 70's and early 80's when Bilharzia was a big problem. I'm not sure if they've gotten rid of that (I believe they did) but with the obesity and diabetes problem along with Hepatitis, there needs to be some serious medical programs and care to eradicate these terrible diseases.
 
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^^ Big step. Egypt has the highest population of diabetes per capita, as well as Hepatitis is a HUGE problem.
I don't know if many of you were too young or worn't even born yet to remember back in the late 70's and early 80's when Bilharzia was a big problem. I'm not sure if they've gotten rid of that (I believe they did) but with the obesity and diabetes problem along with Hepatitis, there needs to be some serious medical programs and care to eradicate these terrible diseases.

Not sure about bilharzia, but I know that we've been polio-free for about a decade now. I'm not sure if you'd heard that but Hepatitis is also on its way to be cured with the Sovaldi drug. I'm not exactly sure what the government did but somehow they struck a deal with the producing company to supply the drug at a 99% discount and it's being distributed to thousands if not millions as we speak.
 
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Not sure about bilharzia, but I know that we've been polio-free for about a decade now. I'm not sure if you'd heard that but Hepatitis is also on its way to be cured with the Sovaldi drug. I'm not exactly sure what the government did but somehow they struck a deal with the producing company to supply the drug at a 99% discount and it's being distributed to thousands if not millions as we speak.

That's fantastic, I did not hear about that and it's a no-brainer because Hepatitis is curable now, at least one of the types B or C, not sure. Something like 3 weeks of heavy-duty pills that unfortunately cost a zillion $ but it works. That's good news.
 
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^^ Big step. Egypt has the highest population of diabetes per capita, as well as Hepatitis is a HUGE problem.
I don't know if many of you were too young or worn't even born yet to remember back in the late 70's and early 80's when Bilharzia was a big problem. I'm not sure if they've gotten rid of that (I believe they did) but with the obesity and diabetes problem along with Hepatitis, there needs to be some serious medical programs and care to eradicate these terrible diseases.

People usually mention the economy to explain Erdogan's popularity. The truth is that the improvements in the health service are as important as the gains in the economy. Latest project; massive city hospitals in every corner of the nation:


In fact, Turkey should be a role model for Egypt. We had the same situation in Turkey just 15 years ago.

International Health Care Systems

Transforming Turkey's Health System — Lessons for Universal Coverage
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1410433

OECD Reviews of Health Care Quality: Turkey 2014
Raising Standards
In series:OECD Reviews of Health Care Quality
Published on November 25, 2014

Life expectancy in Turkey since 2004
turkey-life-expectancy-at-birth-total-years-wb-data.png
 
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People usually mention the economy to explain Erdogan's popularity. The truth is that the improvements in the health service are as important as the gains in the economy. Latest project; massive city hospitals in every corner of the nation:


In fact, Turkey should be a role model for Egypt. We had the same situation in Turkey just 15 years ago.

International Health Care Systems

Transforming Turkey's Health System — Lessons for Universal Coverage
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1410433

OECD Reviews of Health Care Quality: Turkey 2014
Raising Standards
In series:OECD Reviews of Health Care Quality
Published on November 25, 2014

Life expectancy in Turkey since 2004
turkey-life-expectancy-at-birth-total-years-wb-data.png
New Hospitals is not the main problem in Egypt... it's the Healthcare sys that need a boost/a Change( same problem for the majority in the region) You can have big shiny/last tech ones...but if it' s not free ( to the simple consultation to the most demanding surgery) then you did nothing... and I'm not even speaking about free medication for all...
And all of that need a lot of money and will.
But One day inshallah, thing will change.
 
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^^ Big step. Egypt has the highest population of diabetes per capita, as well as Hepatitis is a HUGE problem.
I don't know if many of you were too young or worn't even born yet to remember back in the late 70's and early 80's when Bilharzia was a big problem. I'm not sure if they've gotten rid of that (I believe they did) but with the obesity and diabetes problem along with Hepatitis, there needs to be some serious medical programs and care to eradicate these terrible diseases.

As a Member of a multinational pharmaceutical company in Egypt.... I can say that : what happened in Eradicating Hepatitis C is marvelous.

Not only by reducing the original molecule to 99% of it's main cost in US and financing the cure from Tahya Misr initiative but also producing the same Drug in Egypt.

Suffice it to say that for the First Time in the pharmaceutical industry in Egypt there is an Egyptian molecule that cure Hepatitis C ( researches and production are in Egypt and there are ongoing medical trials in Egypt,Malaysia and India to gain the maximum knowledge about it’s effect and side effects before launching it in the market.

It is produced by PHRCO and there is a program that MESSI participated in it which called (#STOP_THE_Wait) .
With another program for foreigners to come to Egypt and get the low cost drug and visit Egypt called ( Tour n’ cure).
 
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New Hospitals is not the main problem in Egypt... it's the Healthcare sys that need a boost/a Change( same problem for the majority in the region) You can have big shiny/last tech ones...but if it' s not free ( to the simple consultation to the most demanding surgery) then you did nothing... and I'm not even speaking about free medication for all...
And all of that need a lot of money and will.
But One day inshallah, thing will change.

Modern equipment and health care infrastructure are the most crucial factor for developing nations. This is as important as the total number of doctors.
However, you have a point too. In Turkey, we had free health care at first and then the government started bigger infrastructure projects. The key point in Turkey's health care reformation was that the government pursued a very neoliberal and market based approach. Since Erdoğan took office, the Turkish State itself is no longer a health care provider. Its job today is rather to delegate health care services offered by private businesses to its citizens. Turkey pretty much implemented a system that has American and European features. So far it's a big success story. People still complain but everyone acknowledges the massive positive changes, hence Erdoğan's popularity.

I firmly believe that a similar system with some adjustments would be the best solution for Egypt. But that's just my opinion. All the best to Egyptian people, they deserve a better life.
 
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As a Member of a multinational pharmaceutical company in Egypt.... I can say that : what happened in Eradicating Hepatitis C is marvelous.

Not only by reducing the original molecule to 99% of it's main cost in US and financing the cure from Tahya Misr initiative but also producing the same Drug in Egypt.

Suffice it to say that for the First Time in the pharmaceutical industry in Egypt there is an Egyptian molecule that cure Hepatitis C ( researches and production are in Egypt and there are ongoing medical trials in Egypt,Malaysia and India to gain the maximum knowledge about it’s effect and side effects before launching it in the market.

It is produced by PHRCO and there is a program that MESSI participated in it which called (#STOP_THE_Wait) .
With another program for foreigners to come to Egypt and get the low cost drug and visit Egypt called ( Tour n’ cure).

That's great news because it seemed to be borderline 'epidemic' from what I was reading.
This is the most common medication used now in the US/Canada for curing Hepatitis C.
They have adds on the radio and TV for "Baby Boomers" (people who were born in 1950's-60's) to go get checked for Hep-C because they never know if they have it and stats show 1 out of 5 people have it and should go get this treatment.

28 pills for a treatment on 4 weeks at $1,125 per pill, that's $31,500 for the treatment!!!

harvoni_bottle_and_pill_on_grey_wide-99c0a5c62cca1e7d2ff7d4ed283aa8d4a34778f4-s900-c85.jpg
 
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