Egypt - IOM Egypt last week (13/08) organized a health awareness-raising event for 27 Filipina women migrants in Cairo, in coordination with the Philippine Embassy in Egypt, which funded the event.

The event  came at the request of the Ambassador Leslie J. Baja and covered the following health topics: cervical cancer, breast cancer, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. The aim was to raise the women’s awareness of predisposing factors, means of prevention, diagnosis and the importance of having regular medical check-ups.

During the event, an IOM medical team conducted quick screening and counselling for interested participants, after which they were given information on further medical options, as needed.

Over 80 percent of the participants received coupons for referral to Ladies Health Alliance for specialized medical check-ups; a similar number had blood samples collected to check for Hepatitis B and C.

“The awareness-raising event encouraged participants to have regular check-ups as early detection of cancer leads to better prognosis and higher cure rates,” said Dr. Heidi Goubran, National Programme Officer at IOM Egypt’s Migration Health Unit.

“Filipinas in Egypt working as household domestic workers tend not to focus on their own health, so we are grateful to the IOM for events like this that highlight women's health issues and provide access to check-ups and testing,” said Jahzeel Abihail Cruz, Vice Consul at the Philippines Embassy.

The embassy estimates that there are some 2,000 Filipino migrant workers in Cairo. Some 80-90 percent are women employed at the domestic sector.

The event is part of the embassy’s continuing gender and development initiative, which seeks to promote and mainstream gender equality and women’s empowerment.

It comes as a follow up to IOM’s activities on International Women’s Day in March, when over 200 migrant women received free cervical and breast cancer checks. Further follow-ups to positively diagnosed women were also facilitated and provided by IOM.

For further information, please contact Heidi Goubran at IOM Egypt, Tel: + 20 2 273 651 40/1, Email: iomegypt@iom.int