The Influence of Policies and Programs on Cause-Specific Mortality in Egypt: The Past and Present

Egypt implemented policies and programs to minimize the factors that promote the occurrences of cause-specific mortality. The impact of the policies and programs on the cause-specific mortality and health of Egyptians is not well understood. Thus, the study assessed death rates in Egypt before and after the execution of policies and programs to reduce cause-specific mortality from 2000 to 2015. The study estimated standardized death rates from specific causes of death among females and males in Egypt for a period of 16 years. The study revealed the variance in the mortality experiences of males and females after and before the implementation of the policies and programs. Mortality from diarrhea decreased after the introduction of universal health coverage program but mortality from stroke increased after the implementation of the tobacco policy in Egypt. Many programs and policies executed in Egypt failed to contain the influence of determinants of mortality on cause-specific mortality in Egypt. Thus, policies and programs should target all populations exposed to the risk of cause-specific mortality as well as be reformed to tackle conditions with an increased mortality.