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Cairo, Egypt - The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Roche Diagnostics to establish a nationwide Digital Pathology program, supporting Egypt’s efforts to strengthen diagnostic capacity and expand access to timely and accurate diagnosis across all governorates, including remote and underserved areas.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by H.E. Prof. Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population, and H.E. Mr. Thomas Baumgartner, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Switzerland in Egypt, alongside senior representatives from the Ministry of Health and Population and Roche Diagnostics, highlighting the importance of continued collaboration between the public and private sectors to support national healthcare priorities.
The agreement builds on the Ministry’s ongoing collaboration with Roche Diagnostics and supports the integration of digital pathology into public healthcare services. By converting pathology samples into high-resolution digital images that can be securely shared for expert review, digital pathology helps accelerate diagnosis, improve accuracy, and expand access to specialized expertise, particularly in locations where pathology consultants are limited¹.
Digital pathology also addresses a critical challenge facing healthcare systems across Africa, where many countries have approximately one pathologist per one million people, compared to around one per 25,000 in the United States and the United Kingdom². This imbalance contributes to diagnostic delays and increasing pressure on public healthcare resources.
The program will be anchored at the Egyptian Center for Disease Control (CDC), which will serve as the central hub of the Digital Pathology network. In addition, several additional sites across different governorates will be connected to the same network to enable primary diagnosis and facilitate rapid access to second opinions, supporting more consistent diagnostic quality and faster decision-making across the public healthcare system.
The Digital Pathology Center of Excellence has been equipped with advanced diagnostic technologies, including Roche’s Ventana Digital Pathology scanner, which offers high-capacity scanning and scan times of less than 36 seconds per slide, supporting faster turnaround times and more efficient laboratory workflows.
The initiative is closely aligned with the Presidential Women’s Health Initiatives, with a strong focus on breast cancer, where Roche has supported diagnosis and treatment pathways through its long-standing collaboration with Egyptian health authorities. Since its launch in 2019, the initiative has recorded more than 65.6 million medical visits. It has also delivered over 446,000 mammograms, analyzed more than 51,000 tumor samples, and detected approximately 33,500 breast cancer cases. In addition, it has generated over 823,000 referrals for advanced diagnostic and treatment services nationwide.⁴.
Peer-reviewed studies in breast cancer digital pathology have shown that AI-supported image analysis can significantly enhance diagnostic performance. Landmark research has demonstrated sensitivity rates of over 90% for lymph node metastasis detection, rising to nearly 99% when AI is used in combination with expert pathologist review⁵. In parallel, separate studies have shown high concordance between AI-supported analysis and expert pathologists in breast cancer biomarker assessment, supporting more consistent and reproducible diagnostic interpretation⁶.
As part of the event, attendees toured the CDC facilities in Imbaba, including the Digital Pathology laboratory and the Complete Genomic Profiling (CGP) laboratory, and viewed demonstrations of digital pathology workflows and AI-supported image analysis.
H.E. Prof. Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population, emphasized that the launch of the network marks a significant strategic step in advancing the transformation of Egypt’s healthcare system toward precision medicine and digital diagnostics. The initiative reflects the country’s commitment to building a modern healthcare system that places citizens at the center of its priorities.
He noted that the network represents the cornerstone of an integrated digital infrastructure across the country, moving beyond a simple technological upgrade to serve as a fundamental pillar for improving diagnostic and treatment capabilities.
The Minister also highlighted that the network will help overcome geographical barriers by enabling faster and more accurate diagnoses, which can play a crucial role in saving patients’ lives. He added that the network will function as the strategic backbone for modern oncology services in Egypt, supporting the dissemination of medical excellence and ensuring equitable access to advanced healthcare services for citizens nationwide.
Dr. Mohamed Hassani, Deputy Minister of Health for Public Health Initiatives, said:
“Strengthening diagnostic infrastructure is essential to the success of national health initiatives. Through this collaboration, digital pathology will help expand access to high-quality diagnosis, particularly in areas where specialized expertise is limited, while improving efficiency and reducing pressure on public healthcare services.”
Eng. Moataz Nassef, Roche Diagnostics Egypt Chairman of Board of Directors said:
“This MoU reflects Roche Diagnostics’ long-term commitment to partnering with the Ministry of Health and Population to address priority gaps in diagnostics. By advancing digital pathology and integrated genomic solutions, we aim to support faster, more accurate diagnosis, empower clinicians, and contribute to building sustainable diagnostic capacity that benefits patients and healthcare systems alike.”
Thomas Baumgartner, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Switzerland in Egypt, said:
“Today’s MoU is a strong example of the practical cooperation between Egypt and Switzerland. By bringing together public leadership and Swiss innovation through Roche Diagnostics, this collaboration supports Egypt’s efforts to strengthen diagnostic services and expand access to specialist expertise. Switzerland remains committed to partnerships that build capacity, support national priorities, and deliver lasting benefits for patients.”
Globally, Roche Diagnostics continues to advance digital pathology through integrated, end-to-end solutions that combine high-performance scanners, secure digital workflows, and an open ecosystem for AI-enabled image analysis. These efforts support pathologists worldwide, improve diagnostic consistency, and help healthcare systems manage growing diagnostic demand while maintaining high quality standards¹.
References:
1. Roche Diagnostics
Digital Pathology Solutions - Driving diagnostic certainty for life-changing decisions in pathology
2. Mudenda, V., Malyangu, E., Sayed, S., & Fleming, K. (2020).
Addressing the shortage of pathologists in Africa: Creation of a MMed Programme in Pathology in Zambia. African journal of laboratory medicine, 9(1), 974. https://doi.org/10.4102/ajlm.v9i1.974 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32537426/
3. Roche Diagnostics.
Ventana DP 600 Slide Scanner – Product Specifications. https://diagnostics.roche.com/global/en/products/instruments/ventana-dp-600-slide-scanner-ins-6758.html
4. Daily News Egypt.
Over 65.6 million visits recorded under Women’s Health Initiative since 2019.
Published December 13, 2025. https://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2025/12/13/over-65-6-million-visits-recorded-under-womens-health-initiative-since-2019/
5. Ehteshami Bejnordi, B. et al. (2017).
Diagnostic Assessment of Deep Learning Algorithms for Detection of Lymph Node Metastases in Women with Breast Cancer.
JAMA, 318(22), 2199–2210. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2665774
6. Jiang, B. et al. (2024).
Deep learning applications in breast cancer histopathological imaging: diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Breast Cancer Research, 26: Article 95. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13058-024-01895-6
