Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky, Chairman of the Egypt Healthcare Authority (EHA) and General Supervisor of the Universal Health Insurance Project, met with Mr. Daj Jolin Dunfelt, the newly appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Egypt, at the Authority’s headquarters in the New Administrative Capital. The meeting focused on exploring new opportunities to strengthen healthcare collaboration between Egypt and Sweden.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. El-Sobky congratulated Mr. Dunfelt on his appointment in February 2025, expressing his eagerness to further solidify strategic partnerships with leading Swedish healthcare companies, building on the strong and historical ties between the two countries.
During the discussions, Dr. El-Sobky highlighted the Authority’s plan to implement a twinning program with Karolinska Institute, one of the world’s leading medical and academic institutions, aiming to send EHA physicians for training and knowledge exchange under the Authority’s Health Universal Bridges (HUB) initiative. This step will facilitate the localization of international healthcare models in Egypt by leveraging Sweden’s advanced expertise.
He praised the efforts of former Swedish Ambassador Håkan Emsgård in supporting the healthcare collaboration between Egypt and Sweden, reaffirming the significance of the ongoing fruitful partnerships. These include cooperation with Getinge Group in hospital green transformation, digital healthcare solutions, and workforce training programs, as well as collaboration with AstraZeneca in oncology patient care and treatment enhancement.
Dr. El-Sobky also announced the upcoming launch of the first radiotherapy unit at the Aswan Oncology Center, set to serve the Southern Upper Egypt region, in collaboration with Sweden’s renowned medical equipment manufacturer Elekta.
Additionally, discussions addressed potential cooperation with Elefonsen, a Swedish company specializing in technical and logistical support to improve healthcare services in remote and border areas within the Universal Health Insurance system. Talks also explored collaboration with GHB, specializing in hospital management and comprehensive chronic disease solutions.
Dr. El-Sobky emphasized that the strategic partnership with Sweden aims to transfer and localize its advanced healthcare system experiences to Egypt. He noted that Egypt’s healthcare sector presents promising investment opportunities, supporting stronger Egyptian-Swedish relations within the broader Egypt–European Union partnership framework for sustainable development and investment.
For his part, the Swedish Ambassador commended Egypt’s humanitarian role in providing healthcare services and support to Sudanese patients and refugees. He reiterated the embassy’s commitment to facilitating collaborations and strengthening ties between major Swedish institutions and their Egyptian counterparts, leveraging the excellent relations between the two countries to advance mutual healthcare and development goals.
The meeting was also attended by:
Dr. Hani Rashed, Vice Chairman of EHA
Dr. Ahmed Hammad, Advisor to the Chairman for Health Policies and Systems and Director of the Chairman’s Office
Dr. Magdy Bakr, Advisor to the Chairman for Technical Affairs
Dr. Mazen Alaa Eldin, General Supervisor of Cooperation with International Development Organizations and Assistant Director of the International Cooperation Department, and HUB Program Manager
Dr. Radwa Abdel Azim, Oncology Program Officer at the Chairman’s Technical Office.
