Expenses for health care services in an average Egyptian family comprise 6.4 percent of total expenses, or third most costly, according to a new study by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics. Food and housing expenses ranked first and second at 43.6 percent and 17.6 percent, respectively, of total expenses. The proportion of spending on healthcare increased 7 percent in urban areas and 5.6 percent in rural areas, reported the study, which relied on surveys of expenditures and consumption during 2008 and 2009. An average Egyptian household will spend 481.8 EGP (U.S. $81) on healthcare. Expenses for pharmaceutical products ranked first in healthcare spending, comprising 53.6 percent of total expenses in urban areas and 52.2 percent in rural areas. Spending on accommodation in private hospitals ranked second, at 12.2 percent of total expenses in urban areas and 13.3 percent in rural areas. Outpatient spending ranked third in total expenses, with 12.3 percent of total expenses in rural areas and 10 percent in urban areas. The proportion of spending on healthcare is directly related to the level of education achieved by the head of the household, reported the study. The lowest percentage of health expenditures is 4.4 percent and the highest – attributable to unemployed heads of household – is 13.7 percent, the study claims.
