The gradual transition from health insurance and treatment systems at state expense to comprehensive health insurance topped the agenda of official talks on Monday.
General Authority for Healthcare (GAH) chairman Ahmed el-Sobki, who is also head of the Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS), met General Authority for Health Insurance chief Mohamed Dahi and Specialised Medical Councils vice chairman Haider Sultan to discuss the new system, to be rolled out in Aswan and Suez governorates soon.
El-Sobki said there is no ceiling for spending on medical services in the new system, and that it allows those who cannot be treated in Egypt to travel abroad for treatment at government expense.
The system, which to date has been applied in four governorates — Ismailia, Luxor, Port Said and South Sinai — ensures health coverage for all citizens, including vulnerable groups who will be subsidised by the government.
Sobki has reviewed final preparations in hospitals, health centres and medical units in Aswan and Suez to guarantee they are prepared to launch the trial phase of the new health insurance system.
The new health insurance system will be implemented in all Egyptian governorates within 10 years upon a presidential mandate to compress its 15-year planned timetable.
“Providing comprehensive and integrated health care for all members of the Egyptian family is a dream that cannot be postponed,” Sobki said.
The UHIS covers more than 3,000 health services, including organ transplants and the fitting of prosthetic devices in accordance with the latest advances in the medical field.
The UHIS will be supported by state-of-the-art automation technologies as part of the Digital Egypt Strategy — a broader national plan targeting the digitisation of all government services countrywide — according to previous official statements.
He said that his authority is keen to encourage investment in health care and to emphasise the country’s global leadership in this field.
