English 
Dr. Ashraf Al-Ghandour, Vice President of Alexandria University for Graduate Studies and Research, inaugurated on Sunday the 27th of November the activities of the tenth international conference, organized by the Higher Institute of Public Health in cooperation with the World Health Organization (Eastern Mediterranean Office) and Save the Children of the United Nations, under the auspices of their excellencies Professors Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population, Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, and Dr. Abdelaziz Konsowa, President of Alexandria University.
The Conference held under the title “Telehealth” will last for two days, in the presence of Dr. Heba El-Qadi, Dean of the Higher Institute of Public Health, Dr. Engy Mohamed El-Ghitani, Vice-Dean for Community Service and Environmental Development, Dr. Nisreen El-Nemr, Vice-Dean for Postgraduate Studies and Research Affairs, Dr. Naima Al-Qaseer, Representative of the World Health Organization in Egypt, and Dr. Mohamed Al-Jarallah, President of the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences and former Kuwaiti Minister of Health, Dr. Amira Tahio, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health in Alexandria, engineer Hoda Dahroug, representative of the Ministry of Communication Technology and information technology, and a group of experts and those interested in public health from the Arab world, Africa, Europe and America, and faculty professors in Egyptian universities.
In his speech, Dr. Ashraf El-Ghandour stressed that the conference is hosting health experts from around the world, hoping that it will come out with recommendations that contribute to improving the public health of all citizens. El-Ghandour stressed the importance of telemedicine in providing medical advice to patients remotely, especially citizens living in remote areas. He added that the COVID-19 pandemic was a main incentive to develop digital transformation in the health sector and help patients by using telemedicine in various hospitals in the world. He also stressed that the use of smart devices and artificial intelligence has become necessary in the medical sector to raise the level of health care to very advanced stages.
While Dr. Heba El-Qadi confirmed that the conference in its current session adopts an important topic, which is "telehealth", and new visions of public health in the third millennium are presented during its sessions. The conference also addresses many aspects of the concept of telehealth, its present and future, its role in emergency situations, its advantages and disadvantages, its structure, and its role in scientific research. Dr. El-Qadi indicated that the first session of the conference is titled "Health Perception from a Distance", during which the keynote speaker will be Dr. Hisham Kouzou, Professor of Hearing and Balance Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at Alexandria University, member of the Digital Transformation Committee of the Supreme Council of University Hospitals, the academic supervisor of electronic health programs and a member of the Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine. Also participating in the other sessions are Dr. Engy Mohamed El-Ghitani, Professor in the Tropical Medicine Department at the Higher Institute of Public Health at Alexandria University, and Dr. Nisreen El-Nimr, Professor of Epidemiology at the Institute of Public Health.
Dr. Muhammad Al-Jarallah indicated that academic studies have proven the importance of e-health, especially after the spread of COVID-19, confirming that it is not possible to achieve a bright future for public health without achieving progress in digital health and the Internet. Al-Jarallah appealed to governments and medical institutions to support and develop digital health programs and artificial intelligence, in order to catch up with progress in the medical field.
Dr. Amira Tahio thanked the organizing committee of the conference for giving young doctors at the Ministry of Health the opportunity to present research papers for the first time at this international conference. She indicated that the Ministry of Health hopes for more cooperation with Alexandria University to train doctors, present research papers and contribute to development and community service.
Engineer Hoda Dahroug confirmed that telemedicine is a presidential initiative in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, pointing out that information and communication technology contributed to improving public health after the spread of COVID-19, and confirmed that this service is now available in remote villages and governorates.
