In the presence of the Presidential Adviser on Health and Prevention, the Ministers of Health, Finance and International Cooperation and the representative of the World Health Organization in Egypt.
Chairman of Egypt Healthcare Authority participating in the launch of the National Health Accounts Report of the Arab Republic of Egypt - Egypt 2023
Chairman of Egypt Healthcare Authority: The National Health Accounts Report is an important milestone in Egypt overall health reform.
Chairman of Egypt Healthcare Authority: Egypt has made significant progress in improving health-related financial indicators. Most notably, government health spending has increased by more than 20%. Reduction of personal expenditure on health by 59.3%
Head of Egypt Healthcare Authority: Port Said I is the first in the 47.9% reduction in personal spending on health from the citizen pocket, which is the effect of the implementation of the universal health insurance system
Chairman of Egypt Healthcare Authority: The State has an ambitious plan to reduce personal spending on health by 20-22%, according to Egypt 2030. It affirms that this will be achieved through the concerted efforts of all partners and actors in the public, private and public health sector.
Chairman of Egypt Healthcare Authority: For the first time, all public, private and public health sector partners were taken into account in the National Health Accounts Report for the fiscal year 2020/2019, which characterizes this study.
Head of Egypt Healthcare Authority: National Health Accounts is a strategic priority that supports the sustainability, competitiveness and governance of the State health care sector. It confirms: an important tool for all decision makers to formulate national health policies for a better health future for Egyptians
Head of Egypt Healthcare Authority: National Health Accounts is an effective and comprehensive tool for systematically tracking medical spending and identifying opportunities for improvement, investment and development. Comprehensive development of health systems emphasizes the basis for development of other service sectors and the achievement of inclusive and sustainable development goals
Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky, President of the Public Authority for Health Care, Assistant Minister of Health and Population, General Superintendent of the Universal health insurance Project, confirmed that Egypt has seen remarkable progress in improving financial indicators on health to reflect the success of the Egyptian State in the process of comprehensive health reform, which is the basis for successful development in any country of the world.
This was the case during Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky participation today in the launch of the National Health Accounts Report of the Arab Republic of Egypt for the fiscal year 2020/2019.
It was launched in the presence of Dr. Mohamed Awad Taj-Elden, Adviser to the President of the Republic on Health and Prevention; Dr. Khaled Abd-elgfar, Minister of Health and Population; Dr. Mohammed Maeit, Minister of Finance and Chairman of the General Authority for Comprehensive Health Insurance; Dr. Rania Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation; Dr. Naima Kassir, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Egypt; Dr. Ahmed Khalifa, expert on health systems and health economics of the World Health Organization; Dr. Ayman Abd-elmawgoud, Assistant Minister of Social Solidarity; and selected senior health-care officials and specialists.
Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky pointed out that the National Health Accounts Report was an important milestone in Egypt overall health reform, noting that the report most notable findings were an increase in government health spending by more than 20% compared to the previous report for the fiscal year 2015/14, as well as an increase in the proportion of per capita public health expenditure at the regional level, a unique achievement for the Egyptian State and the achievement of a constitutional entitlement that affirmed the citizen right to integrated health care.
In addition to a marked decline in the proportion of personal spending on health in the citizen pocket, Egypt had seen very high indicators. According to estimates in the present report, it had reached less than 59.3%, indicating that Port Said had experienced the lowest proportion of personal spending on health by 47.9%, the impact of the implementation of its Universal health insurance system. That achievement had been the result of the first nine months of the collection of data for the report during the fiscal year 2020/2019, which confirmed the success of the new system in meeting its obligations to citizens and shouldering the financial burden of the disease.
He noted that universal health insurance had been extended in six governorates so far, namely, Port Said, Ismailia, the shortest, South Sinai, Suez and Aswan, and that, in the near future, the system would be extended throughout Egypt in accordance with presidential directives in less than 10 years.
The Egyptian State had an ambitious plan to reduce the proportion of personal spending on health by less than 20-22%, in accordance with Egypt vision of sustainable health development 2030. The efforts of all government, private and private ministries and health sectors would be joined by all those involved, and he extended every thanks on behalf of all the staff of the National Health Accounts Unit to the Minister of Health and Population, Dr. Khaled Abd elgfar, for his support in launching the study, to the experts of the World Health Organization and to all the participants and supporters of the study.
Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky stressed that, with the support and guidance of political leadership, Egypt has a prominent place in global competitiveness towards sustainable development in the light of national indicators and performance standards that represent the road map towards the adoption of global best practices and the improvement of the quality of health care based on the launching of health initiatives and projects and the provision of modern infrastructure, best specialized techniques and highly qualified medical care facilities.
The results of the national health accounts for the fiscal year 2020/2019 confirmed the success of comprehensive health reform processes in Egypt, which was a remarkable achievement of the State and enhanced the efficiency of initiatives, projects and policies within the framework of Egypt Strategy for Sustainable Health Development 2030.
He emphasized that national health accounts were a strategic priority that supported the sustainability, competitiveness and governance of the State health-care sector, noting that national health accounts aimed at establishing a national integrated platform with a sustainable vision for the collection of health expenditure data and improving planning and resource allocation, with a particular focus on the distribution of expenditures by disease and linking them to budgets and health products in a sustainable manner to enhance the design and implementation of national health plans and policies and decision-making assigned to evidence.
The health-care system of the State continued to evolve as one of the most powerful and flexible regional and global health systems, thanks to the support and guidance of the political leadership to provide quality health care through a global health system with effective, flexible and sustainable standards, since the provision of a healthy life for the individual, the family and society was one of the priorities of the State national agenda to become a major and developed State in the area of health care.
Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky stressed his pride and pleasure in launching this report at the domestic and international levels in a manner that is appropriate for Egypt and the comprehensive health reform revolution that is currently taking its toll on it. He noted that this report is particularly relevant in this version in order to take into account the presence in national health accounts, for the first time, of all health-care sectors, whether governmental, private or private, and private. It was also built on several levels of medical overlaps and at the governorate level. He also took into account the application of the current health insurance system, as well as the Universal health insurance system, which is being extended to all governorates of Egypt, respectively, and which was launched by His Excellency President Abd-elfattah El-Sisi in November 2019.
The report was an important tool for all decision-makers with regard to health and the economic component, since the health sector was ultimately a direct catalyst for development and the economy. It also helped to formulate national health policies for a better health future for Egyptians, noting the importance of increasing spending on preventive medicine, which was directly reflected in ensuring the financial sustainability of the Universal health insurance system, and wishing to benefit at all levels from the results of the study for all partners and actors in the health sector.
According to Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky, national health accounts are the most effective basis for the effective functioning of the health system by strengthening the control and disbursement of resources through the establishment of controls and procedures for the regulation of such accounts, the optimum use of resources and their proper use in providing more comprehensive and better care. This reflects the Government concern to strengthen the financial protection of the individual for access to health services, to ensure strategies for the sustainability of health financing and to pursue universal health coverage, which is one of the most important health objectives of the State program for achieving sustainable development goals. The overall development of health systems is the basis for development of other service sectors and the achievement of comprehensive sustainable development goals.
