Dr. Elsobky delivered the speech during the 16th regular meeting of the International Steering Committee for Universal Health Coverage UHC2030 via video conference technology.
Chairman of the Egypt Health Care Authority and Egypt's representative to the International Steering Committee:
▪️Egypt offers a pioneering model in health system reform, and we are ready to lead the coordination of efforts between middle- and low-income countries. Linking our plans with those of countries such as Senegal and Rwanda is the basis for building cohesive and replicable African financing networks
▪️Egypt's experience has proven to the whole world that building health systems is not only dependent on abundant financial resources but also on strong political will, governance, and legislative reforms. Linking health to national development is a strategic priority.
▪️Self-financing is a strategic option and a structural necessity for building independent and sustainable health systems, especially given the 70% decline in foreign aid to Africa since 2021.
▪️Egypt responded to the Lusaka Declaration to implement community accountability mechanisms by establishing the first system in Africa to measure patient satisfaction electronically, linking it to automated spending and operating reports. He stresses: This link between the citizen and financial decision-making is the essence of modern governance in health
▪️ The outcomes of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (Seville Declaration) provided a political framework for health coverage. The pioneering Egyptian experience in universal health coverage has proven that implementation begins from within through innovative development partnerships
In the healthcare sector in Egypt, our national plans for health sustainability have become linked to smart and realistic financing frameworks. Egypt has adopted realistic financing frameworks that accommodate non-traditional tools such as integrated financing and risk guarantees
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Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky, chairman of the Egypt Healthcare Authority and representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the International Steering Committee for Universal Health Coverage (UHC2030), participated in the activities of the sixteenth periodic meeting of the committee, which was held via video conference technology, with high participation from representatives of member states and relevant international organizations.
In his speech, Dr. El-Sobky stressed that Egypt offers a pioneering model in reforming the health system and added that the General Authority for Health Care has the full readiness to lead the coordination of efforts between middle- and low-income countries, noting that linking Egypt's national plans with the experiences of countries such as Senegal and Rwanda represents the basis for building interconnected, cohesive, and replicable African health financing networks.
He explained that the Egyptian experience has proven to the world that building flexible and sustainable health systems is not only linked to an abundance of financial resources, but also to strong political will, governance, legislative reforms, and linking health to national development as a strategic priority.
Al-Sabki continued, explaining that self-financing has become a strategic option and a structural necessity for building independent and sustainable health systems, especially in light of the significant decline in foreign aid to Africa by up to 70% since 2021, which imposes on countries the necessity of developing self-financing and flexible solutions.
In this context, the head of the authority pointed out that Egypt was one of the first countries to respond to the contents of the Lusaka Declaration, as it established the first electronic system in Africa to measure patient satisfaction, automatically linked to actual employment and spending reports, in a way that enhances financial governance and societal accountability, stressing that this link between the citizen and the financial decision is the essence of modern health governance and provides real tools to direct resources and improve performance according to citizens' needs.
Dr. El-Sobky also pointed out that the outcomes of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (Seville Declaration) provided a political framework for universal health coverage, but the Egyptian experience clearly showed that real transformation begins from within, through innovative development partnerships that rely on realistic tools and are capable of overcoming traditional challenges of health financing.
In conclusion, Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky emphasized that the healthcare sector in Egypt has become based on smart and realistic financing frameworks, relying on unconventional tools such as integrated financing and risk-sharing guarantees. However, only 29% of African countries have national financing plans for the healthcare sector, which reinforces the importance of recognizing the Egyptian experience as a model that can be used in similar African contexts.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Mazen Alaa El-Din, Head of the Central Unit for Foreign Investments and International Partnerships at the Healthcare Authority, and a member of the Universal Health Coverage Committee (UHC2030) working group.
