Egypt's Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar on Saturday inaugurated upgraded emergency, outpatient and reception units at Matariya Teaching Hospital and the National Institute of Urology and Nephrology, as part of ongoing efforts to modernise health infrastructure and improve medical services, the Health Ministry said. Ministry spokesperson Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said the minister began his tour at the National Institute of Urology and Nephrology, which has 106 beds, where he opened a newly expanded emergency department that increased bed capacity from three to 13. The institute recorded 26,921 emergency cases, 42,181 outpatient visits, 39,686 dialysis sessions, 1,353 catheterisations and 2,221 surgeries in 2025, in addition to performing its first two simultaneous kidney transplants within the authority's units, he added. The minister inspected the observation, radiology, resuscitation and dialysis sections, and instructed the rapid activation of the peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) programme for patients with vascular complications. He also followed up on progress in establishing four new administrative rooms. Abdel Ghaffar then inaugurated the upgraded emergency department at Matariya Teaching Hospital, increasing its capacity from 29 to 37 beds and expanding the critical care section from four to eight beds. He also reviewed improvements to staff accommodation, internal departments and the new radiotherapy centre, and inspected the stroke unit, which treats 20 to 25 cases per month. He praised the quality of development works at both facilities, stressing the importance of continued improvements in service quality and patient care. In a separate tour, the minister inspected several ongoing health infrastructure projects, beginning at the National Institute of Neuromuscular and Sports Medicine, where he spoke with patients and ordered immediate treatment for several cases, including referring a woman for hearing aids. He also visited the new seven-storey sports medicine building under construction, which spans 30,000 square metres and will include 46 outpatient clinics, four physiotherapy halls, rehabilitation pools, 148 inpatient beds, six laboratories, a full radiology unit and eight operating rooms. Abdel Ghaffar instructed project teams to accelerate work and establish twinning agreements with leading international rehabilitation centres. At Imbaba Fever Hospital, the minister inspected the medical education complex and a medical storage building, expressing dissatisfaction with construction delays and ordering a review of contracts and legal action against those responsible.
