A signing ceremony for a joint cooperation protocol was held between Ain Shams University, headed by Prof. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of the University and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in the presence of Prof. Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din, Advisor to the President of the Republic for Health and Prevention Affairs, Major General Mohamed Amin Nasr, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Financial Affairs, Secretary General of the Long Live Egypt Fund, and Japan's Ambassador in Cairo Noki Masaki, Major General Bahaa El-Din Zidan, Chairman of the Unified Procurement and Medical Supplies Authority Hani Hilal, former Minister of Higher Education and advisor to the JICA Foundation, and Prof. Abdel Fattah Saud, Vice President for Education and Student Affairs, and Prof. Ayman Saleh, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research, and Prof. Ashraf Omar, Dean of the College of Medicine and Chairman of the University Hospitals Board of Directors, and Prof. Samia Abdo and Prof. Asir Mustafa, Deputy Director of University Hospitals, Prof. Ali Al-Anwar, Director of Ain Shams Specialized Hospital, the directors of university hospitals, and Prof. Yasser Mustafa, Head of Chest Diseases Department and Supervisor of the Chest Care Unit, Mrs. Nermin Shihab El-Din, Director of Social Responsibility at the National Bank of Egypt, a group of doctors and those interested in medical affairs, and a high-ranking delegation from the Embassy of the State of Japan and the JICA Foundation.

The protocol aims to expand the base of cooperation between the two sides in the field of health care, especially in light of the COVID-19 epidemic crisis, and the cooperation includes the fields of treatment, health care, and the exchange of medical and other experiences.

The signing of the protocol was followed by an inspection tour of the chest care unit at Al-Demerdash University Hospital, which is considered a pioneer at the level of the Republic, where the attendees witnessed the latest developments and developments that took place in the chest care unit to keep pace with the needs of the Egyptian community, especially in light of the pandemic conditions, and a continuation of Ain Shams University's continuous efforts to develop Health care and medical service provided by its hospitals for the benefit of the Egyptian citizen.

It is noteworthy that the project of developing the infrastructure and equipping the two units structurally according to the latest international systems and standards had started with the support of the National Bank at an amount of 20 million pounds, then the preparations phase began, as it was for the great support and continuous follow-up and the directives of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The care had the greatest impact on the completion of the development and equipping work of the unit with all modern equipment and devices in a timely manner, as it included the latest interventional and non-intrusive ventilators, vital signs monitoring devices, dialysis machines, extra pulmonary oxygenation devices (ECMO) and others, with a contribution from the Long Live Egypt Fund with a total value. It amounted to 28 and a half million pounds.

The JICA Foundation also contributed to the development of the bronchoscopy unit and supplying it with six modern endoscopes, including the bronchial sound wave endoscope (EBUS), which is one of the latest technologies used in diagnosing various chest diseases with a total value of 7 million pounds.

The attendees inspected the latest developments and developments in the chest care unit at Al Demerdash Hospital, which includes the bronchoscopy unit, the intensive care unit, and the continuing medical education unit, which includes an electronic library and a simulation laboratory to train doctors on various types of chest endoscopes and train them on intensive care techniques with the latest educational and training methods.