Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar reaffirmed on Thursday Egypt’s commitment to providing healthcare services to refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
He also stressed that access to healthcare remains a fundamental human right that should be guaranteed irrespective of nationality or status.
The remarks were delivered during the minister’s participation in a high-level event on promoting the health of refugees and migrants, held on the sidelines of the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, at the invitation of Minister of Health Mónica García Gómez of Spain.
During his remarks, Minister Abdel-Ghaffar expressed appreciation to the Spanish side for hosting the event and inviting Egypt as a key partner, highlighting the strength of bilateral co-operation and the growing partnership between Egypt and Spain in health-related issues.
The minister stated that despite considerable economic pressures and increasing demands on national resources, Egypt continues to host nearly nine million refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, reflecting its longstanding humanitarian approach and commitment to ensuring access to basic services.
He noted that more than 925,000 refugees and asylum seekers representing 63 nationalities had been registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees up to 2025.
Minister Abdel-Ghaffar further highlighted Egypt’s recent adoption of its first comprehensive national asylum legislation, Law No. 164 of 2024, describing it as a significant step that demonstrates the state’s commitment to addressing migration and asylum issues within a sovereign institutional framework.
He also noted that the Ministry of Health and Population delivered more than 351,000 primary healthcare services to refugees and migrants during 2025 on an equal basis with Egyptian citizens, including preventive and treatment services, family planning programmes and essential healthcare support.
He added that approximately 69,000 healthcare services had been provided during the first quarter of 2026 alone across nine governorates.
Minister Abdel Ghaffar stressed the need for stronger international co-operation and fair burden-sharing mechanisms to support host countries and ensure sustainable healthcare responses to migration challenges.
