Uganda receives Hepatitis C drugs from Egypt

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Uganda has received a consignment of Hepatitis C drugs from Egypt.

The consignment was received on Monday, December 9, by SFC Commander, Maj. Gen. B.D Mugisha, on behalf of the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

The drugs were delivered by General Mohamed Ashraf of Egypt's General Intelligence Service (GIS), which operates the factory that manufactures the Hepatitis C drugs.

(Courtesy/UPDF)

Present at the reception at Entebbe International Airport were Col. McDans Kamugira, the CDF's Military Assistant, and Dr Charles Olaro from the Ministry of Health, were part of Uganda's team to witness the delivery. 

(Courtesy/UPDF)

A media release from his office states that during his October visit to Egypt, Gen. Kainerugaba held discussions with the then Director General of GIS, Maj. Gen. Abbel Kamal, regarding Uganda's need for Hepatitis C drugs from Egypt. 

(Courtesy/UPDF)

Reports from Cairo indicate that Gen. Hassan Rashad, who replaced Gen. Kamal has expressed commitment to execute the commitment.

During the October visit to Cairo, the CDF also met with Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, where both parties reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation across various sectors.

According to the World Health Organization, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are major causes of acute and chronic liver disease globally and cause an estimated 1.4 million deaths annually.

It is estimated that, at present, 248 million people are living with chronic HBV infection, and that 110 million persons are HCV-antibody positive, of which 80 million have active viraemic infection.