A S U

In a step reflecting the integration of efforts between state institutions and civil society to support the healthcare sector, Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El-Abedeen, President of Ain Shams University, representing the University and its hospitals, and Mr. Tamer Mohamed Abdel Fattah, representing the Tahya Misr Fund, signed a cooperation protocol to develop oncology isolation rooms at the New Children’s Hospital affiliated with Ain Shams University Hospitals.

This cooperation comes within the framework of the national role undertaken by the Tahya Misr Fund in supporting development initiatives and projects with a direct impact on citizens’ lives, particularly in the healthcare sector. The Fund successfully mobilized a contribution from one of its development partners to support the target development work. This collaboration will enhance the provision of specialized medical services to patients from across Egypt, as Ain Shams University Hospitals represent a cornerstone of the national healthcare system, especially in specialized fields such as pediatric oncology.

The project aims to establish a specialized pediatric oncology isolation unit at the Children’s Hospital (El-Demerdash), providing a safe treatment environment for children with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, particularly those suffering from severe immunodeficiency, who are highly vulnerable to life-threatening infections due to weakened immune systems.

Conventional hospital wards often lack the strict environmental controls required for such cases. Therefore, properly equipped isolation rooms with advanced environmental control systems and trained medical staff are essential to preventing hospital-acquired infections and limiting their transmission among patients.

The project includes the establishment of a fully integrated unit comprising seven isolation rooms equipped in accordance with modern medical standards. This will help reduce infection-related complications, improve treatment outcomes, increase survival rates, and enhance the quality of life for children throughout their treatment journey.

The project is expected to significantly enhance service capacity. Currently, approximately five patients per month are isolated within regular wards. With the new unit in operation, the hospital is expected to serve up to ten pediatric oncology and immunocompromised patients per month, equivalent to approximately 100 patients annually.

Providing a safe and specialized isolation environment is also expected to improve pediatric cancer recovery rates by up to 50%, representing a major advancement in the level of care provided at Ain Shams University Hospitals.

This protocol represents a successful model of partnership between state institutions and supporting entities, placing patient welfare at the forefront and contributing to improving the quality of healthcare services provided to those most in need.

The protocol signing was witnessed by Prof. Rami Maher Ghali, Vice President for Education and Student Affairs; Prof. Ali El-Anwar, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Chairman of the University Hospitals Board; Prof. Tarek Youssef, Executive Director of University Hospitals; Prof. Essam Fakhry, Deputy Executive Director for Therapeutic Affairs and Director General of El-Demerdash Surgical Hospital; Prof. Yasmine Gamal, Director of the Children’s Hospital; Prof. Mohamed Abdel Mohsen, Head of the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Unit; Prof. Ehab Khairy, Head of the Pediatrics Department, Faculty of Medicine; and Prof. Savinaz El-Habashy, Professor of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University.