The EFG Hermes Foundation remains committed to improving the quality and availability of healthcare in Egypt with a grant to Assiut University Hospital that allows doctors to double the number of arthroscopic surgeries performed. Cairo, 16 November 2015 The EFG Hermes Foundation is proud to announce the opening of Assiut University Hospital’s second Arthroscopic Surgery Unit. The new operating unit was made possible through a grant of EGP 900,000 from the EFG Hermes Foundation to support the purchase of machinery and equipment required to expand the hospital’s renowned services in the field of orthopaedic arthroscopic surgery.  “On behalf of the entire team at the Assiut Arthroscopy and Sports Injury Unit (AASIU), I would like to express my deep gratitude to the EFG Hermes Foundation for its generous contribution,” said Prof. Hatem Galal Zaki, Arthroscopy Unit, Orthopaedic Dept., at Assiut University. “The grant has allowed us to equip another operating room at our facility, which means we are now able to double the number of patients that we can treat.” Assiut University Hospital is a leading provider of arthroscopic surgeries in Egypt, performing more than 600 knee, shoulder and hip arthroscopies in the last 10 months alone. The university is also a distinguished national centre of excellence in the field of arthroscopy and will hold its second Shoulder Arthroscopy Course in November to spread knowledge and awareness on the latest treatment and diagnostic technics amongst the medical community in Egypt.  “The EFG Hermes Foundation has always placed special emphasis on funding vital healthcare initiatives in Egypt. From organising employee blood drives to helping to expand the treatment of both Hepatitis C and cerebral palsy in Egypt, we are always looking to support initiatives where we can achieve maximum impact,” said Hanaa Helmy, CEO of the EFG Hermes Foundation. “We’re extremely proud to have collaborated with an institution like Assiut University. Not only are they making strides in the latest surgical techniques, but they are doing so in Upper Egypt, a region that typically suffers from a severe lack of quality medical services.” The EFG Hermes Foundation has a long history of community outreach and development programmes, including health-related public awareness campaigns for A/H1N1 and Hepatitis C, in addition to supporting Hepatitis B vaccinations amongst university students. For the past six years, the Foundation has been working in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Population’s National Committee for the Control of Viral Hepatitis (NCCVH) as well as other members of the private sector to control the spread of the HCV epidemic. In 2013, the Foundation made an EGP 2 million donation as part of the initiative to control Hepatitis C in Egypt. The campaign focused on the treatment of children infected with the disease. The Foundation’s healthcare activities extend to support for the MOVE Foundation for Children with Cerebral Palsy, a non-profit organisation for underprivileged, disabled children. The Foundation has always taken an innovative approach to corporate social responsibility. Rather than focusing on one-off development initiatives, it has always pursued integrated projects, such as the Assiut University Hospital, which are both impactful and sustainable.