Topping last night’s talk shows: Concerns about shortages of pharma products had the talking heads talking for a second night running while Kelma Akhira’s Lamees El Hadidi had something to say about the destruction of historic tombs in Cairo’s oldest cemetery.

Medical supplies have been a major theme on the airwaves this week amid fears that ongoing import blockages caused by the FX crunch could result in shortages of pharma products. In an interview on Kelma Akhira last night, Gamal El Leithy, head of the Federation of Egyptian Industries’ pharma division, told show host Lamees El Hadidi that the pharma industry’s reserves of raw materials are currently enough to last two months, down from the ideal 3-4 months (watch, runtime: 10:14).

The response: In an effort to bolster supplies, the Madbouly government will allocate USD 100 mn a month to support pharma factories, USD 150 mn a month to support hospitals, and will work with the central bank to release medical supplies and raw materials still stuck at ports, El Hadidi said. The measures will help to prevent any shortages from occurring, El Leithy said, offering a message of reassurance to viewers. Mohamed Ismail Abdo, head of the Medical Supplies Division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce also joined El Hadidi (watch, runtime: 3:10) to voice support for the decisions.

The sector is already mostly localized: “88% of the Egyptian market’s pharma needs are locally made but we need to import raw materials,” Ittihadiya health advisor Mohamed Awad Tag El Din told Ala Mas’ouleety (watch, runtime: 4:36). Head of the Export Council for Medical Industries, Maged George, joined Al Hayah Al Youm (watch, runtime: 5:09) to weigh in on the issue.

Tombs in City of the Dead under threat: El Hadidi voiced criticism of the ongoing demolition of parts of the historic City of the Dead to make way for a flyover linking central Cairo to the new capital. “I don’t know who to talk to about this but I am directing a message to society, the government, and the Tourism Ministry: Protect our history. Protect the fingerprints of those who created this history or else we will be erased as well,” she said. “There must be another way” (watch, runtime: 2:00 | 4:22).

The tomb of Al Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Mostafa Al Maraghi is one that has to make way:El Hadidi spoke to Sheikh Al Maraghi’s granddaughter (watch, runtime: 5:03), who told her that her family received a letter from the state to relocate his remains to a cemetery in Tenth of Ramadan, and issued a plea to officials to reconsider their plans.Researcher Mostafa Al Sadek also joined El Hadidi (watch, runtime: 9:17) to relay the importance of preserving Egyptian history.

A record month for tourism arrivals: Ala Mas’ouleety’s Ahmed Moussa said that a record 1.4 mn tourists visited Egypt in April (watch, runtime: 7:39). Arrivals have been on the rise this year, jumping 33% y-o-y in the first four months of 2023. The Tourism Ministry is currently expecting to receive a record 15 mn tourists this year, up 28% from 2022.

Tags: