Cairo University’s Faculty of Mass Communication launched its 30th International Conference on May 7–8, 2025, under the theme “Health Communication and Empowering Contemporary Communities,” bringing together a distinguished assembly of academics, health professionals, media practitioners, and digital content creators from Egypt and around the world.

Held under the patronage of Prof. Dr. Mohamed Sami Abdel Sadek, President of Cairo University, and chaired by Prof. Dr. Thuraya El-Badawy, Dean of the Faculty and Conference President, the event reflects a growing commitment among Arab academic and health institutions to advance public awareness and health empowerment. The conference also features the participation of Prof. Dr. Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities and former Minister of Higher Education, as well as senior representatives from Egypt’s Ministries of Health and Higher Education, alongside international experts from Nigeria, India, China, Brazil, and the UAE.

During the second opening session, several key health officials emphasized the media’s critical role in raising public awareness about population issues and healthcare.

Prof. Dr. Abla El-Alfy, Deputy Minister of Health and Chair of the National Population Council, noted that while Egypt once ranked second globally in healthcare access, the past decade has witnessed transformative initiatives aimed at expanding and improving care. She highlighted the shift in the Ministry’s focus from treatment to prevention and pointed out that the national health budget has quadrupled, with expectations to reach 319 billion EGP in the future.

El-Alfy stressed the importance of preventive information in empowering citizens and called on the media to promote awareness around reproductive health and family planning. She particularly highlighted the alarming rise in unnecessary cesarean births—affecting 1.5 million women annually—which has contributed to increasing autism rates in Egypt from 1.1% to 3.3%. She urged media professionals to target misinformation around childbirth, family size, and childbearing myths, and to direct health education messages especially toward women.

Prof. Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Osman, Advisor to the President of the General Authority for Healthcare and former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, spoke on behalf of Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky, President of the Authority. He emphasized the strategic importance of health communication in realizing the goals of Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance (UHI) system, which now serves 6 million citizens in Alexandria and is expanding across five additional governorates.

Dr. Osman called on researchers to include executive summaries in their studies to facilitate implementation of recommendations by healthcare institutions and underlined the media’s role in spreading awareness of the benefits and use of the UHI system.

Prof. Dr. Ehab Abou Aish, Vice President of the General Authority for Universal Health Insurance, underscored the importance of public support for the success of the insurance scheme. He noted that longer life expectancy, driven by improved services, increases the demand and cost for healthcare. Still, he affirmed that Egypt’s new UHI system is considered among the best globally, with over 90% beneficiary satisfaction.

Abou Aish concluded by advocating for a cultural shift in health-seeking behavior, encouraging citizens to prioritize visits to family doctors and local health units over direct hospital access.

Prof. Dr. Amr Hassan, Advisor to the Minister of Health for Population and Family Development, expressed his pride in returning to Cairo University as a Kasr Al-Ainy professor. He reiterated that the media is a vital partner in promoting health initiatives, such as premarital screenings, efforts to combat stunting, and the eradication of hepatitis C.

Dr. Hassan described family planning as a “heavy industry with slow returns,” stressing that unchecked population growth adversely affects both national and family economies. He called for a unified front between media and health sectors to challenge harmful social norms and promote sustainable development goals.

The conference sessions continue to explore the intersections of health communication, policy, and community engagement, aiming to foster long-term collaborations between media professionals and healthcare leaders.