President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said on Tuesday the comprehensive health insurance system has proven its efficiency in Port Said governorate, noting that the health and humanitarian return of the system on citizens is very large.
In remarks during the inauguration of a number of national projects for the development of Sinai, including the key Ahmed Hamdi II Tunnel which connects Africa to Asia, President Sisi said that Port Said’s experience of the comprehensive health insurance system assures the state of its efficiency, pointing out that this system was scheduled to be completed in 15 years, but the state worked to complete it in a time of up to 10 years.
The president added that the “Decent Life” initiative which aims to develop all aspects of life for about 60 per cent of the population of Egypt, includes all ministries, noting that the Ministry of Health, for example, has to raise the efficiency of several hospitals and establish others according to the initiative, and the same applies to schools.
The president stressed that the timetable for implementing the plans contained in the “Decent Life” initiative was shortened from 10 years to only 3 years, pointing out that he had hoped that the period of implementing the comprehensive health insurance system in all governorates would decrease to less than 10 years.
But this was difficult due to a number of considerations, the president said, noting that it is possible to reduce the ten-year period a little, given that the health and humanitarian return on citizens is very huge.
President Sisi also noted that whenever we are able to include the largest number of individuals or governorates in that system, this will have a significant impact on improving the quality of the health service provided to citizens. He stressed the importance of recording data in the comprehensive health insurance system in all governorates and entering them into the databases of the Ministry of Health and hospitals.
The president also directed the prime minister to pay due attention to the road and sewage network in places that were not planned so far, stressing the need to take into account the villages and areas adjacent to work sites.
President Sisi explained that the state is concerned with the road network, whether in Sinai or in the rest of the country, pointing out that the size of the roads that were built exceeded what was agreed upon, as “we far exceeded the target area in the national road network, which is 7,000km.”
By the end of this year, the country will inaugurate three roads – spanning more than 1,000 kilometres – that will cut through agricultural land in Farafra, Toshka, and Sharq Al-Owainat, President Sisi added.
The volume of work that has already been achieved in constructing roads is unprecedented, Sisi said, noting that there is still more work to be done.
“Some may think that we exaggerate in constructing new roads and bridges [nationwide]. No, we are not. Freedom of movement, whether for people or goods, must be easy in the urban areas of Egypt,” President Sisi said.
“Our interest in [constructing new roads stems from our aim to] lay real foundations for development across Egypt’s soil,” he explained.
President Sisi said that “the road network in Sinai will be completed within two years, whether it is for urban, tourism or agricultural development,” noting that “we are talking about more than 3,500 kilometres of roads that have been upgraded”.
President Sisi also inspected on Tuesday “Martyr Ahmed Hamdi II” tunnel, as part of the national projects for the development of the Sinai Peninsula.
President Sisi listened to a detailed explanation of the “Martyr Ahmed Hamdi II Tunnel” and the operating mechanisms inside the tunnel’s control room from the northern side, which was designed and implemented according to the highest international safety standards.
The Ahmed Hamdi II Tunnel links the Nile Delta and the Sinai Peninsula with the aim of facilitating the movement of citizens and goods to and from the west of the canal.
The new tunnel is expected to double investments and job opportunities in Sinai, the president said.
The inaugurated projects in Sinai include the St. Catherine Hospital, Rowaysat Medical Centre, and other healthcare facilities.
Discussion about this post