Egypt's Health Ministry has announced its medical tourism program for Hepatitis C virus patients, in coordination with the Tourism Ministry.
Lionel Messi will arrive on Wednesday in Cairo to promote the program, it added.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said Egypt has been the focus of attention of all countries in the wake of its success in treating around one million Hepatitis C patients.
A plan has been made to attract millions of tourists through the program, which includes treatments for psoriasis, Rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, acne and eczema.
The program offers 'environmental treatments' at Pharaoh's Bath (Hammam Feraoun), Moussa's Springs (Oyoun Moussa) and Ras Sidr in Sinai; as well as at various locations Siwa, Marsa Matrouh, the New Valley, the Oases and Aswan, the statement read.
Specialized teams of doctors were trained on medical tourism through seminars, in order to turn Egypt into a well-known destination for environmental treatment around the world.
In all, the Ministry was able to cure around 942,000 patients of Hepatitis C virus at a cost exceeding LE three billion by end of January.
There were 550,000 patients treated at the government’s expense; 262,000 patients treated at the expense of the health insurance; 25,000 patients at the expense of the military and police; while 105 patients were treated at their own expense.
Meanwhile, the ministry is conducting screenings aimed at identifying new patients to be treated, in order to reach nine million patients cured by the end of the year 2017.
