Chairman of Egypt’s General Authority for Healthcare (GAH) Ahmed el-Sobky met with Serbia’s Ambassador to Egypt, Miroslav Šestović, on Sunday to discuss expanding bilateral co-operation in the healthcare sector and boosting strategic partnerships in medical services, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and medical tourism.
At the outset of the meeting, el-Sobky praised Serbia’s active participation in the Africa Health ExCon 2026 conference and exhibition, noting that Egyptian-Serbian relations continue to grow steadily across a wide range of sectors.
He said the GAH is seeking to establish a long-term institutional partnership with Serbia, revealing that a comprehensive draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been prepared covering several priority areas. These include primary healthcare and hospital planning, digital transformation and electronic health records, artificial intelligence applications in healthcare, pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing, technical expertise exchange, and capacity building.
El-Sobky also highlighted the Authority’s advanced healthcare workforce development system, which includes more than 20 nursing institutes operating under European-accredited curricula, expressing hope for partnerships with Serbian educational and healthcare institutions in training, professional development, and knowledge exchange.
Reviewing Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance System, el-Sobky described it as one of the region’s most ambitious healthcare reform programmes. He said the scheme is currently being implemented in seven governorates and is being expanded gradually to achieve nationwide universal health coverage in line with the directives of the political leadership.
For his part, Ambassador Šestović commended Egypt’s significant progress in modernising its healthcare sector and implementing the Universal Health Insurance System, describing the country’s experience as a leading model for healthcare reform in the region.
The Serbian ambassador reaffirmed his country’s interest in strengthening co-operation with Egypt in healthcare services, pharmaceutical industries, and medical devices, noting that successful partnerships already exist between Egyptian and Serbian companies in medical technology transfer.
Šestović added that the anticipated free trade agreement between Egypt and Serbia would open broader opportunities for investment and economic co-operation, including in the healthcare sector, and stressed the importance of translating the two countries’ strong bilateral ties into concrete projects and practical partnerships that deliver mutual benefits.
