Egypt's cabinet on Wednesday approved a decision to automatically register vulnerable citizens in the country's universal health insurance system, removing the need for them to take any action to benefit from the services. The automatic registration mechanism will apply to groups defined as "unable to pay" in a 2023 prime ministerial decree, based on the databases of cash and social support programmes maintained by the Ministry of Social Solidarity. "The automatic registration mechanism aims to extend the umbrella of universal health insurance to cover these groups without burdening them with any procedures on their part to enjoy these health benefits and services," Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in a statement. The Ministry of Social Solidarity will be required to periodically provide updated data on these groups to the General Authority for Universal Health Insurance. The two bodies will establish rules and mechanisms to ensure the integration and continuous updating of their databases. The number of beneficiaries in the first phase of the universal health insurance system whose contributions are covered by the state budget is about 905,000 citizens, out of a total of 5.13 million registered in that phase, representing about 17.6%. In its weekly meeting, the cabinet also approved a number of other decisions. It authorised the petroleum minister to contract with the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) for petroleum exploration and development in the Ras Badran and Gulf of Zeit areas in the Gulf of Suez. The cabinet also approved a presidential decree regarding the second amendment to a financing agreement with the French Development Agency (AFD) to support the social protection sector, and extended an exemption from certain aviation fees for all countries until December 2026 to encourage air traffic to tourist destinations. Furthermore, the government approved the launch of a public auction for two licences to produce grey Portland cement, each with a capacity of up to 2 million tonnes per year. The council reviewed a performance report from the General Authority for Universal Health Insurance, which showed total revenues of about EGP 69.4bn and a surplus of EGP 52.2bn for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. It also noted a decision by the New Urban Communities Authority approving contracts with 49 companies for various works, and approved recommendations from its ministerial engineering committee regarding work on 93 projects for a number of ministries. The cabinet also greenlit contracts with the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) for electricity transmission towers and equipment repair.
