Dr. Abla Al-Alfi, Deputy Minister of Health and Population, confirmed that the population file is a top priority for the political leadership and the Egyptian government, through a comprehensive approach that integrates with human and economic development efforts, stressing that the state is working hard to support its financial needs from local government resources, supported by contributions from international bodies and friendly countries.
Her statements came during her participation in the first high-level ministerial meeting on enhancing sustainable financing for family planning and reproductive health after the withdrawal of the United States, within the activities of the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP). 2025) held in Colombia.
Dr. Al-Alfi explained that Egypt continues to implement the National Population Strategy and its urgent plan to achieve the goal of reaching a total fertility rate of 2.1 by the end of 2027, noting the provision of significant support for family planning methods, with a focus on reducing early cessation of their use (30% during the first year) and treating the 20% of unplanned pregnancies, which constitute a major economic burden.
She confirmed that it has been circulated. Integrated family counseling services in all primary health care units while ensuring complete privacy, relying on the sharing of tasks between health workers, as doctors, pharmacists, dentists, and physiotherapists have been trained to provide advice effectively.
She also pointed to the generalization of the use of family planning methods immediately after birth, which contributed to reducing unplanned pregnancy during the first six months, in addition to progress in the local manufacturing of methods, as IUDs are produced entirely locally, and the production of capsules began through national companies, which saves huge costs and paves the way for export. In the future.
In the context of long-term investment, the Ministry focused on the first 1000 days of a child’s life as a crucial stage to enhance the spacing of pregnancies from 3 to 5 years, which led to a noticeable improvement in children’s health indicators:
• Breastfeeding rates increased from 30% to 70%
• Reduced consumption of industrial milk.
• Increasing the use of long-term family planning methods.
The Deputy Minister praised the inter-ministerial cooperation, especially the role of the Ministry of Social Solidarity in providing financial and nutritional support to mothers during the first thousand days, and the participation of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in awareness campaigns, which reduced duplication of spending and achieved significant financial savings.
She stressed that the private sector is an essential partner in family planning programs, stressing the slogan “No to Opportunities.”
She concluded that investing in spacing pregnancy represents a tremendous economic saving, as Egyptian studies have shown the possibility of saving 288 billion pounds when applying this approach on a comprehensive national level.
