Ahmed El-Sobky, President of Egypt's General Authority for Healthcare (GAH), announced that the cost of healthcare infrastructure for the facilities in the first phase of the Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS) in the provinces exceeds EGP 34bn. He also noted that the cost bill of the Comprehensive Health Insurance project in the first phase exceeded EGP 53bn. This announcement coincides with the fourth anniversary of the launch of the trial operation signal of the Comprehensive Health Insurance System from Port Said province in early July 2019 by Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. El-Sobky indicated that the first phase of the Comprehensive Health Insurance System will include more than 350 facilities, including medical complexes, hospitals, centres, and family medicine units. These facilities will provide healthcare services at three levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The services will be available to citizens in the provinces of Port Said, Luxor, Ismailia, South Sinai, Aswan, and Suez. He pointed out that the first phase includes the development of more than 50 hospitals and more than 300 family medicine centres and units in six provinces. El-Sobky explained that the development and updating plans for healthcare facilities to join the Comprehensive Health Insurance System are intended to expand the healthcare services provided in hospitals, centres, and family medicine units. This is to achieve the system's goals. He pointed out that the system relies on developing family medicine centres and units, equipping them with medical devices and equipment to provide integrated primary healthcare. This will help to alleviate the pressure on secondary and tertiary healthcare in hospitals and enhance their ability to provide the service with the highest efficiency and quality. El-Sobky confirmed that Egypt now has a strong healthcare system that receives political attention and support. He stressed that the system has become equipped with advanced infrastructure, the best facilities, and high-quality cadres. He also pointed out that this development has contributed to bringing back a number of Egypt's medical competencies who emigrated to work in the hospitals of the Healthcare Authority under the Comprehensive Health Insurance System. This has helped to provide the best healthcare service and care for citizens following the highest international standards. El-Sobky concluded by saying that the GAH will continue to support the political leadership to complete the rest of the provinces in the Comprehensive Health Insurance System. He stressed that completing the project and extending it to the rest of Egypt's provinces is a priority of the state. This is to restore Egypt's medical status at the regional and international levels and to implement the political leadership's vision of providing a healthcare model that offers the best healthcare and treatment services according to international standards.
