Through an infographic, the Egypt Healthcare Authority highlighted its achievements over the five years since the implementation of universal health coverage in Egypt. This began when His Excellency President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the historic leader of healthcare reform in Egypt, initiated the universal health insurance system in a pilot phase in July 2019 from Port Said, with official operations starting in November of the same year.
The infographic indicated that the scope of the system's implementation expanded over the five years to include six governorates. In February 2021, the system was launched in three governorates—Luxor, Ismailia, and South Sinai—via video conference. In November 2022, the system was launched in a pilot phase in Aswan and Suez, thus completing the first phase of the universal health coverage system.
The infographic also noted that over 5 million citizens in the six governorates have registered for the universal health insurance system. The Egypt Healthcare Authority now operates 321 healthcare facilities in these governorates. To date, 233 medical facilities have been either fully or preliminarily accredited according to the GAHAR standards recognized internationally by the ISQua organization.
The infographic detailed the provision of more than 44 million medical and therapeutic services to beneficiaries under the universal health coverage system in these governorates, including 16 million services in Port Said, over 16 million in Luxor, 9.5 million in Ismailia, 1.3 million in South Sinai, 510,000 in Aswan, and one million medical services in Suez.
It continued: Over 27 million family medicine services have been provided in family medicine facilities belonging to the Egypt Healthcare Authority in the six governorates. Family medicine units deliver 80% of the services needed by citizens, with the family unit, not the individual, being the beneficiary under the universal health coverage system. Furthermore, 550,000 surgeries have been performed under the universal health insurance system, with 35% being advanced and skilled operations.
More than 3 million comprehensive medical exams have been conducted for beneficiaries in the six governorates covered by the universal health insurance system, including routine medical and necessary diagnostic examinations that aid in early disease detection. These comprehensive medical examinations are provided free of charge and are conducted periodically for beneficiaries of the universal health insurance system.
The infographic also highlighted the creation of over 4.8 million unified medical records in the governorates implementing the universal health insurance system and the launch of 60,000 training programs for the human resources of the Egypt Healthcare Authority facilities in the universal health insurance system governorates.
In the field of digital transformation, the infographic pointed out that over 40 million digitized medical prescriptions have been issued, and the system for issuing electronic medical prescriptions has been successful. Furthermore, 100% of the primary care units and centers in the first phase governorates of the universal health insurance system and 80% of the hospitals have been digitized. Over 4 million medications and medical supplies have been coded according to the international GS1 coding system, in collaboration with the Drug Authority and the Unified Procurement Authority. Additionally, the HRIS electronic human resources management system has been launched using the HITS application, ensuring optimal management of human resources.
The infographic concluded with an average beneficiary satisfaction rate of over 91% regarding the quality of medical services provided by the Egypt Healthcare Authority facilities under the umbrella of the universal health insurance system. Several mechanisms have been introduced to reach the highest levels of beneficiary satisfaction.
Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky, Chairman of the Egypt Healthcare Authority and the general supervisor of the universal health insurance and Hayat Karema projects at the Ministry of Health and Population, confirmed the authority's ongoing commitment to providing its medical, therapeutic, and educational services in all governorates. The authority serves as the state's primary arm in regulating and providing services under the new universal health insurance system for citizens, according to the phased implementation of the new universal health insurance system in the governorates, until universal health coverage encompasses all governorates by 2030.
Dr. El-Sobky noted that His Excellency President Sisi has made significant efforts over the past years to enhance comprehensive development and achieve progress in various fields, expressing his complete confidence that His Excellency will continue his relentless pursuit to fulfill the aspirations of the Egyptian people and achieve stability and prosperity.
