In an infographic, the Healthcare Authority highlighted the achievements of Universal Health Insurance during the five years since its launch by His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the historic leader of health reform in Egypt. The launch signal for the pilot phase of the Universal Health Insurance system began in July 2019 in Port Said governorate and officially started in November of the same year.
The infographic indicated the expansion of the system's application to include 6 governorates. In February 2021, the system was launched in three governorates (Luxor, Ismailia, and South Sinai) via video conference, and in November 2022, the system was pilot launched in Aswan and Suez governorates, completing the first phase of the Universal Health Coverage system.
The infographic noted that over 5 million citizens were registered in the six governorates for Universal Health Insurance. To date, the Healthcare Authority oversees 321 health facilities in these governorates. Out of these, 196 medical facilities have been accredited, either fully or provisionally, according to the standards of the General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation (GAHAR), recognized by the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua).
It also detailed the provision of more than 37 million medical and therapeutic services to beneficiaries under the Universal Health Coverage system in these governorates, including over 15 million services in Port Said, 13 million in Luxor, 7 million in Ismailia, more than 1 million in South Sinai, 510 thousand in Aswan, and 300 thousand medical services in Suez.
Furthermore, more than 16 million family medicine services were provided in family medicine facilities under the Healthcare Authority in the six governorates, as family medicine units offer 80% of the services needed by citizens. Under Universal Health Coverage, the family, not the individual, is the unit of benefit. The infographic also highlighted that 520,000 surgeries were performed under Universal Health Insurance, with advanced and skilled operations constituting 35% of these procedures.
Moreover, over 3 million comprehensive medical examinations for beneficiaries in the six governorates were conducted, including routine and necessary diagnostic tests contributing to early disease detection. These comprehensive medical examinations are provided free of charge and regularly to beneficiaries of the Universal Health Insurance system.
The infographic mentioned a more than 700% increase in foreign revenue from the Healthcare Authority's medical tourism project under the "We Care for You in Egypt" brand, aiming to attract foreign patients to the Authority's hospitals. Additionally, it noted the creation of over 4.8 million unified medical files in the governorates implementing the Universal Health Insurance system and the launch of 25,000 training programs for human resources in the Healthcare Authority's facilities in these governorates.
In the digital transformation field, the infographic highlighted the issuance of over 20 million electronic prescriptions and the success of the electronic prescription system. It also noted the complete digitization of 100% of primary care units and centers and 80% of hospitals in the first phase governorates of Universal Health Insurance, the coding of over 3.5 million drugs and medical supplies according to the GS1 global coding system in cooperation with the Drug Authority and the Unified Procurement Authority, and the launch of the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) using the HITS application, ensuring optimal human resource management.
The infographic concluded with an average satisfaction rate of over 91% among beneficiaries regarding the quality of medical services at Healthcare Authority facilities under Universal Health Insurance. It also mentioned the establishment of 22 crisis and emergency management rooms under the national unified network for emergency and public safety services for immediate crisis and emergency response to international standards.
Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky, head of the Healthcare Authority and supervisor of the Universal Health Insurance and "Hayat Karema" projects at the Ministry of Health and Population, stated that President El-Sisi has made significant efforts to enhance comprehensive development and achieve progress in various fields over the past years. He expressed full confidence that His Excellency would continue his relentless pursuit to fulfill the aspirations of the Egyptian people and achieve stability and prosperity.
The head of the Healthcare Authority confirmed the continuous provision of its medical, therapeutic, and awareness services across all governorates, considering the Authority as the main arm of the state in regulating and providing services of the new Universal Health Insurance system to citizens, according to the phased application of the new Universal Health Insurance system in the governorates, until Universal Health Coverage includes all governorates of the Republic by 2030.
