CAIRO: To test the new medical insurance law, the Ministry of Health will start by implementing it in the governorate of Suez next May, Dr Abdel Rahman Shahin, the ministry's official spokesperson, told Daily News Egypt. Shahin explained that should the law prove successful in Suez; the ministry will implement it in Alexandria and Sohag by 2010. "Hopefully by 2017, the new law will be implemented in all governorates in Egypt, Shahin said. The law is meant to enhance the health sector by providing better medical services and offering medication at lower costs. The new medical insurance law was proposed by both the Ministry of Health and the Doctors' Syndicate and was arguably one of the most controversial draft laws of 2007. In March 2008, the People's Assembly dismissed the then draft insurance law after the Ministry of Finance said it could not fund it. As a compromise, the Ministry of Health agreed to wait until enough resources were available, but still pushed for it to be implemented gradually to test it. "This law should be valid for the coming 20 years, Shahin said. Shahin further explained that the law is put on hold also because the ministry wants to ensure that it is thoroughly studied. Among the issues that need further examination, Shahin said, is the type of people covered by medical insurance. "We are also working on a feasibility study along with an assessment of the government's general budget for the coming 20 years to make sure that as soon as the law is implemented, there will always be enough money to sustain it, he explained. Hamdy El-Sayyed, head of the Doctors' Syndicate and one of the main advocates of the new law, told Daily News Egypt in a previous interview that "the new law was part of President Hosni Mubarak's [2005 presidential elections] campaign. However, El-Sayyed added that the new law will take time to be fully functional to ensure that the budget is sufficient and the research is complete.
