Egyptian Minister of International Co-operation Rania el-Mashat and Japanese Ambassador to Egypt Oka Hiroshi on Wednesday signed letters of mutual assistance to finance the Universal Health Insurance Project, which is worth 44 billion Japanese yen ($330 million).
The Universal Health Insurance Project strengthens efforts to develop and improve healthcare services for all, especially those on low incomes, and support the e-service system to carry out the scheme the project hospitals and medical centres in the governorates of Port Said, Damietta, Ismailia, and Luxor, the minister said.
The minister hailed relations with the Japanese side and efforts to attain the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
The minister also stressed the importance of international partnerships and co-operation with multilateral and bilateral development partners, el-Mashat said.
El-Mashat has held a joint multi-stakeholder platform for the health sector since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 to co-ordinate joint work and to integrate efforts between development partners and national bodies to put state priorities into practice.
Egypt is mobilising financing mechanisms from various development partners, and a development finance agreement worth $582 million for the universal health insurance project was signed with $400 million from the World Bank Group plus $182 million from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) to help implement the health project.
For his part, Ambassador Hiroshi said Japanese co-operation focused on each individual and will continue to support Egypt’s efforts towards universal health coverage.
The Japanese envoy added that during the official visit of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to Japan in 2016, the two leaders affirmed that they would work together to achieve universal health coverage in Egypt, with mutual support to fulfill this commitment.
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