Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said on Tuesday the success of the healthcare system should be measured not by spending levels but by tangible results for citizens.
Speaking during a session on citizen health on the second day of the Egypt Forum 2026 titled: “A Look at Today, a Vision for Tomorrow,” Abdel Ghaffar said around 5.8 million Egyptians were infected with hepatitis C before 2014.
Egypt has since succeeded in eliminating the virus and received international certification recognising its achievement
He stressed that health indicators are the main benchmark for assessing performance and effectiveness.
He added that child and maternal mortality rates had declined, while fewer cancer cases were being diagnosed at advanced stages.
Abdel Ghaffar also cited shorter waiting times for complex surgeries and higher cancer detection rates as indicators of progress in the healthcare system.
He said Egypt aimed to bring its health indicators in line with those of developed countries, with the political leadership supporting healthcare development and improved services as a national priority.
On financial protection, the minister said Egypt aimed to reduce out-of-pocket health spending to around 28 per cent of total health expenditure.
Abdel Ghaffar affirmed that “Egypt Forum 2026” differs from previous conferences, describing it as a dialogue platform that brings together specialists from various fields alongside citizens. The aim is to conclude the sessions with decisions and recommendations that serve citizens and improve the quality of services provided to them.
The minister said Egypt’s healthcare sector faced an exceptionally heavy disease burden in 2014, amid a lack of accurate health data needed to assess the scale of problems and develop appropriate plans to address them.
He noted that the political leadership subsequently extended unprecedented attention and support to the health sector.
The minister said a comprehensive plan for healthcare development had been adopted and continuously updated over the past 12 years. These efforts have yielded numerous achievements in the sector.
He emphasised that healthcare development is not a process that ends at a particular stage, but rather an ongoing effort that requires continued investment in infrastructure, improved service quality and fair distribution of healthcare services, ultimately contributing directly to citizens’ health and quality of life.
