The church’s commitment to promoting the dignity and well-being of all people, especially the most vulnerable, regardless of race or creed, is the driver behind the establishment of numerous health care clinics across Egypt, said the Rev. Kirollos Nazim.
Father Nazim is responsible for overseeing the social services offered by the Coptic Catholic Patriarchate of Alexandria. The church’s approach to health care goes beyond diagnosis and treatment to include education and prevention, he said.
“There are various factors related to health, such poverty and clean water, so we care as well about raising awareness of these issues,” he explained.
The Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the Cairo suburb of Klot Beik run one of these numerous clinics.
People come from across Cairo, while others travel many miles from surrounding governorates, to receive care “due to the reputation of the dispensary because of the presence of the nuns,” said Sister Marian Faragalla, superior of the local community.
Egypt’s economic crisis, marked by a combination of sharp inflation and job loss, has increased the need among the population and the dispensary has experienced a significant increase in patients. The sisters do not turn away any patients who cannot afford to pay for care.
While the clinic’s income is sufficient to keep the services going and to meet the sisters’ basic needs, the dispensary would require additional funding for larger medical equipment and upgrades, said Sister Mariam.
Learn more about church-run health services in Egypt in the video below by Egyptian video journalist Hanaa Habib.
Then, read more about how the work of the church in providing health care to Egypt’s poor in “Unconditional Care” in the June 2023 edition of ONE.