CBE Launches 'Sehetak Amana' Initiative for Women in the Banking Sector in Collaboration with Baheya Foundation

In alignment with the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030, which prioritizes women’s healthcare, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) launched the "Your Health is a Commitment" (Sehetak Amana) initiative, in collaboration with Baheya Foundation, aiming to provide early detection service and free treatment of breast cancer to female employees within the banking sector. Additionally, the initiative offers support programs and health awareness seminars to emphasize the significance of the early detection of breast cancer.

Mrs. Ghada Tawfik, the Governor’s Advisor for Corporate Social Responsibility, stated that "The initiative comes as a part of the CBE’s commitment to support and empower all segments of society, with the Egyptian women at the forefront of its priorities. The CBE also allocates particular focus on women working in the banking sector to reinforce their pivotal role in society and the economy overall. The first phase of this initiative was launched few weeks ago, and included the provision of medical checkups for female employees from the CBE, with plans to extend this service through the coming phase, to cover all women in the banking sector, in coordination with all banks operating in the Egyptian market."

From her side, Dr. Jaylan Ahmed, CEO of Baheya Foundation, expressed her appreciation for the CBE’s efforts in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in launching this initiative, that aims at raising awareness among women in the banking sector about the importance of breast cancer’s early detection, and the prioritization of providing them with superior healthcare. Furthermore, Dr. Jaylan emphasized that Baheya’s collaboration with the CBE is the first step towards expanding awareness of breast cancer’s early detection, which is proven to raise the rates of recovery to more than 98%, which comes in line with the foundation’s main objective.

The initiative comes within the framework of the CBE’s proactive role in supporting CSR projects in general, and healthcare initiatives in particular. Noteworthy, the banking sector’s contribution to the CSR projects reached nearly EGP 2 billion during 2023, including about EGP 1.1 billion allocated for the healthcare sector. This is in addition to the significant surge realized during the current year in the total banking sector’s contributions directed to healthcare projects, reaching EGP 1.5 billion during H1/2024,compared to EGP 672 million in H1/2023, with an increase of 223.2%. The banking sector, under the CBE’s sponsorship, contributed to the presidential initiative to reduce waiting lists in hospitals, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Egypt's Vision 2030.

It is worth mentioning that Baheya Foundation had launched more that 1600 awareness seminars across all governorates, benefiting over 60,000 women in various institutions and entities, including enterprises, factories, ministries, banks, churches, mosques, schools, and universities. The Foundation also aims to attain the highest reach for women, especially after the inauguration of the second phase of Baheya’s Hospital in Sheikh Zayed last March, which is expected to provide its healthcare services to around half million women annually.