Hepatology professor at Qasr al-Aini Faculty of Medicine and Vice Chairman of the Hepatitis Viruses Committee Gamal Essmat said that the committee will start treating hepatitis C patients with the Olysio drug before the end of May in the 27 medical centers affiliated with the committee.
The committee started the first training yesterday for 700 doctors on the therapeutic protocol of the new drug, Essmat added.
"There is another workshop on Saturday, after which we will start gradually to treat patients," he added.
The total number of treated patients using the Solvadi drug during the past six months amounted to 54,000, Essmat said, denying that the army and police were dominated treated patients as only 4,000 police and army patients received the drug.
About 15,000 patients were treated in accordance to the health insurance system and 35,000 were treated at the expense of the state.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
