Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly chaired a meeting on Monday to review the progress of the first phase of the Universal Health Insurance System and the preparations for launching its second phase. The meeting included key officials such as Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population; Amr Kandil, Deputy Minister for Preventive Medicine; Ahmed Taha, Chairperson of the General Authority for Accreditation and Health Control; and Ahmed El-Sobky, Chairperson of the General Authority for Healthcare, among others. Opening the session, Prime Minister Madbouly reaffirmed the government's commitment to improving healthcare services and enhancing the quality of services for citizens across the country. He highlighted President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's directives to expedite the rollout of all phases of the Universal Health Insurance System, emphasizing the system's pivotal role in ensuring comprehensive healthcare coverage for all Egyptians. According to Mohamed El-Homsani, the official spokesperson for the Cabinet, the meeting featured a detailed report on the progress made by the General Authority for Universal Health Insurance. The report revealed that 3,451 approved health services are being provided through the system across 406 contracted facilities, serving 3.8 million beneficiaries in the initial phase, which covers the governorates of Port Said, Luxor, Ismailia, South Sinai, and Suez. As of December, 189 facilities had been activated to deliver these services. The report also noted that 91% of medical facilities involved in the system are contracted and accredited by the General Authority for Accreditation and Healthcare Control. These facilities include primary care units, specialist hospitals, integrated medical hospitals, optometry centres, radiology centres, medical laboratories, and pharmacies. Of these, 62% are operated by the General Authority for Healthcare, while 38% are private, civil society, public sector, or business sector institutions. El-Homsani further explained that the meeting addressed the General Authority for Universal Health Insurance's management of complaints received through the government's official complaints system, as well as the referral process for patients within the first-phase governorates and from outside these regions. The Authority is also actively raising awareness about the services available through seminars and outreach campaigns in the initial phase areas. Additionally, the meeting highlighted the ongoing efforts to digitally transform and automate the system across the various bodies involved in the Universal Health Insurance System. Finally, the meeting included discussions on the preparations for the second phase of the system, including the upgrades and projects underway at various medical facilities to ensure readiness for its upcoming launch.
