Egypt State Information Service

Health conditions

Attention has been given more to improving the health of Egyptian women, especially with respect to family planning and child/motherhood care.

Family planning services :

The number of family planning centers reached 6.1 thousand in 2006 against 5.3 thousand in 2000.

Table 1 shows the increase in the number of family planning centers in the period from 2000 to 2006:

Year	FP centers
2000	5.3
2001	5.5
2002	5.6
2003	5.7
2004	5.9
2005	6.0
2006	6.1

Source: The Ministry of Health. The numbers are in thousands

Fertility rates
The total fertility rate for women in childbearing age reached 3.1 in 2005.

Table 2 shows a decline in the 2005 fertility rate figure as compared to that of 2003 and 2001, which reflects the State's effort with regard to increasing FP services nationwide:

Year	Total Fertility Rate
2000	3.5
2003	3.2
2006	3.1

Source: CAPMAS

FP prevalence rate has also risen in the period from 2000 to 2005. In 2000, 56.1 per cent of women in childbearing age were using family planning methods. The figure increased to 59.2 per cent in 2005 (The Health Survey – 2005).

Childhood/motherhood care:

A most important health program in Egypt now is that of childhood/motherhood care.

Table 3 reflects change in the number of childhood/motherhood care-providing facilities

Facility	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Childhood/motherhood care units in urban areas	232	232	202	204	205	203
Childhood/motherhood care and health integrated units	609	614	652	656	653	670
Childhood/motherhood care units in rural areas	2488	2541	2916	2935	2971	3027
Total	3329	3387	3770	3795	3829	3900

Source: The Ministry of Health

Given the availability of childhood/motherhood care, infant and maternal mortality rates declined from 84 per thousand in 2000 to 62.7 per thousand in 2006. Life expectancy for females at birth rose to 73.6 in January 2006.

Year	Total Fertility Rate
2000	84
2002	75
2003	68
2004	67.6
2005	62.7
2006	62.7

Source: The Ministry of Health

The number of babies delivered under medical supervision increased in the period 2000 – 2006 as indicated in table 4:

Year	Percentage of deliveries under medical supervision
2000	61.5
2001	63.7
2002	66.5
2003	68.8
2004	71.7
2005	73.5
2006	78.6

Source: The Ministry of Health