Global law firm Freshfields advises Institut Gustave Roussy, Europe's leading cancer treatment Centre, and its subsidiary Gustave Roussy International on the establishment of a strategic health partnership between the French Republic and the Arab Republic of Egypt.

The partnership formed between the Ministry of Health and Population, the Franco-Egyptian Alliance of the Gustave Roussy International Cancer Centre - Egypt (GRI-E) and Elevate P.E., was officially launched at a ceremony attended by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi, between Professor Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Ministry of Health and Population, and Professor Fabrice Barlesi, CEO of Gustave Roussy and representative of Gustave Roussy International.

Under this partnership, Egypt’s diagnostic capabilities and quality of cancer treatment will be enhanced by modernising infrastructures and oncology tools. This marks a major step forward in the country’s efforts to tackle cancer. The project has been made possible through a pioneering model that enables rapid scaling and long-term engagement by the GRI-E partners, driven by strong collaboration between medical and technical professionals at all levels – including in the field of training.

This is the first partnership of its kind in both Egypt and the wider Middle East, involving a private-sector organisation working directly with the Egyptian government, made possible by the entry into force of a new law. In the short term, the partnership will transform the Dar Al-Salam-Hermel Hospital into a centre of excellence for cancer care, to be known as ‘Gustave Roussy International Egypt’. In time, this will be followed by the establishment of additional centres across Egypt and the Middle East.

The Freshfields team was led by partner Fabrice Grillo (Paris), counsel Amr Omran (Dubai) and associate Lou Bernard (Paris).