Sisi Opens Major National Projects in Damietta

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi inaugurated several major national projects in Damietta governorate.

The president was accompanied by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Defense and Military Production Minister Sedqi Sobhi, as well as a number of ministers and senior state officials.

The opening ceremony began by reciting verses of the Quran. After reciting verses of Quran, a documentary, entitled "Tomorrow is better", featuring development projects in the health, housing and services fields that were recently established in the different governorates, was displayed.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Head of the Administrative Control Authority (ACA) Mohamed Erfan said all major national projects that were set up from February 15, 2016, till May 20, 2016, and have been reviewed to ensure their financial, administrative and technical integrity.

Erfan said that 1,705 projects, at a total cost of LE285 billion, were reviewed.

Erfan underlined that 179 projects were reviewed before being opened; adding that 140 projects were approved and 39 others were postponed.

He added that 1,526 projects were referred to parties concerned to inaugurate them.

In his statement, the ACA head said that the president is scheduled to open 16 projects at a total cost of 4.9 billion pounds.

Six projects, worth L.E.1.7 billion, are carried out by the Armed Forces in the industry and health domains, seven others set up by the Health Ministry at a cost of LE488 million and three projects carried out by the Housing Ministry at a cost of LE2.7 billion, Erfan said.

As for projects carried out by the Armed Forces, Erfan said Damietta Furniture City project will be launched, stressing that Damietta has 0% unemployment according to the World Bank's estimates prior to 2011

. The project aims at shoring up labor-intensive furniture industry in Damietta governorate, Erfan added.

Damietta Furniture City will be spread over an area of 331 feddans and it will secure 25,000 direct jobs and 40,000 indirect jobs, Erfan said.

The estimated cost of the project is LE4.5-5 billion , Erfan said. The project will be implemented in three stages

. The first and second stages will cost nearly L.E.1.1 billion and involve the construction of 55 quasi-hanger structures, he added.

While the third stage is a 245,000-meter investment area that includes exhibitions, conference halls, hotels, hospitals, restaurants and financial institutions, Erfan said.

Egypt's Authority for Potable Water and Wastewater designed and implemented the compact wastewater treatment plant to serve the first phase of the project, Erfan said.

A protocol will be signed with the national industrialization authority to implement the main wastewater treatment plant in Damietta Furniture City, Erfan added.

As for the health sector, he said Damietta Military Hospital was established at a total cost of LE119 million.

Several hospitals were also established and others were partially renovated in different governorates to improve healthcare services offered to citizens, Erfan stressed.

Three housing and utilities projects were opened Tuesday at a total cost of LE2.7 billion, the ACA head said.

Two housing projects worth 684 million pounds were finalized in the 10th of Ramadan and New Assiut cities, Erfan said.

He added 1,020 housing units were established in the 10th of Ramadan city and 4,032 in New Assiut City.

The wastewater treatment plant in the 10th of Ramadan City was expanded at a cost of LE2.1 billion to improve drinking water supply in 10th of Ramadan, Badr and Al Shorouk cities and the new administrative capital, Erfan said.

For his part, Health Minister Ahmed Emadeldin Rady underlined the most important projects carried out in the health sector.

As for Hepatitis C virus (HCV), the Health Ministry noted that in 2008, the demographic survey showed that 30% of people infected with Hepatitis C virus in Egypt had received unsafe treatment for schistosomiasis (bilharzia) via poorly sterilized glass syringes.

In 2015, there were 350,000 persons on waiting lists for the treatment of Hepatitis C, he said, adding in August 2016, there were no waiting lists in all Egyptian governorates.

The price tag of the imported HCV drug is 10,600 pounds for a course of treatment extending for three months, the minister underlined.

However, this cost decreased by 85% after the use of Egyptian HCV drug that costs just 1,527 pounds, the minister said.

The health minister said that the National Heart Institute in the heavily-populated north-western Cairo district of Imbaba was expanded to include 426 beds instead of 262.

The operations rooms were also increased from four to nine, the minister added.

Founded in 1965, the institute, one of the first specialized institutes in the Middle East in Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, was renovated in 19 months, at a total cost of 200 million pounds, the minister said.

He further underlined that several hospitals and health facilities nationwide were upgraded to improve healthcare services offered to citizens.

The health minister said that a central hospital in Luxor started operation

The first surgery, a C-section, was carried out yesterday at the Armant Central Hospital in the Upper Egyptian city, he noted, stressing it is one of the best equipped hospitals in Upper Egypt.

About 300 new ambulances will go into force today in the different governorates, Rady said.

The ambulances cost some LE221 million he noted, adding that 10 more ambulances will join the fleet after two months.

A conference hall and 14 laboratories at the National Training Institute (NTI) have been renovated, the minister further said, adding that renovations cost 12 million pounds.

He put the total cost of operations to renovate and build hospitals at 1.257 billion pounds.

Housing Minister Mostafa Madbouli, for his part, reviewed a report about his Ministry’s success stories in urban development.

He cited a project to establish a New Damietta city, which - together with other new cities - is being developed in terms of houses and infrastructure

. He touched upon a social housing project that includes 500,000 residential units, of which 220,000 units have already been completed.

A documentary about social housing projects in the 15th of May City was also played.

Madbouli said the construction sector helped create some three million jobs in two and a half years.

Madbouli said that a project to renovate an additional 110,000 residential units in unsafe areas will be implemented as soon as possible at a total cost of 15.5 billion pounds.

He also touched upon an “Egyptians abroad” project, which is meant to encourage expats to invest in their country, thus securing hard currency.

Part of revenues from such investments will be used by the government to bankroll social projects, the minister noted.

Madbouli said that a project to establish a “Baltan” wastewater treatment plant to serve villages in the Delta city of Qalyoubiya has been completed.

He also talked about a water plant in the 10th of Ramadan city, noting that the capacity of the first phase of the plant is 600,000 cubic meters per day.

Madbouli made it clear that the total capacity of the plant after all phases have been completed will be 1.8 million cubic meters per day.

The plant will serve the 10th of Ramadan city and its industrial zones, as well as the cities of Badr and Shorouk, and the Gulf of Suez region and the new capital, the minister explained.

Director of the military engineers department Major General Hassan Abdel Shafie said 186 medical facilities have been renovated and built in line with directives of President Sisi.

Five new health care projects are being inaugurated in five governorates, Abdel Shafie said.

One such project is a Damietta Military Hospital in New Damietta city, he said, noting that it will serve military personnel and civilians in the Delta city and adjacent areas.

Major General Essam el Kholy, the director of the mega projects department, said that 38 percent of 64 social housing projects have been completed in 19 governorates.

Work is underway to implement the remaining 62 percent in nine governorates, Kholy added.

About 16,896 residential units have so far been implemented in four governorates, he said, noting that those represent 12 percent of a middle-class housing project. The remaining 88 percent are being implemented in nine governorates, Kholy added.

Kholy also said that 158 residential buildings are being delivered as part of phase one of a “Dar Misr” middle-class housing project in five governorates in line with a pre-set timetable.

He said that the “Dar Misr” project includes 25 residential buildings in New Damietta city, 26 in Obour city, 21 in the 10th of Ramadan city and 30 in Shorouk city, plus 40 buildings in the 6th of October City and 13 in New Cairo.