Egypt’s National Dialogue tackles healthcare issues

CAIRO – 15 June 2023: The Egyptian National Dialogue resumed its session on Thursday to discuss the health care issues, calling for a better health system for all citizens and suitable financial support for medical staff.

In his speech, Vice President of the Congress Party Magdy Morshed called for launching a national campaign for health and making 2024 the year of health to build infrastructure in hospitals nationwide.

He called for paying great attention to the health system in the countryside in order to relieve pressure on hospitals in urban areas, saying “Egypt has 673 government hospitals nationwide, including at least 300 hospitals that were built before 1950 and 100 other hospitals need to be removed.”

"The Comprehensive health insurance does not raise the level of service, but rather spreads the service," he continued.

For his part, Osama Abdel Hay, the representative of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, said that the best health system is not limited to providing service for money, but rather includes participation in health insurance.

Abdel Hay added that applying the comprehensive health insurance will take 10 years to reach Cairo, noting that medical and nursing staff have no professional safety as doctors suffer from verbal and physical abuse.

He also called for an increase in doctors' wages and the application of the unified financial regulations of the Health Care Authority.

"The system for providing health care in Egypt is very bad because the organizing rules are not being followed,” said Nabil al-Muhairi, former head of the General Authority for Health Insurance, at the National Dialogue session on Thursday.

Also, Chairman of the Parliament Health Committee Ashraf Hatem called for greater financial support for doctors in the unified regulations.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said at the National Youth Conference in Alexandria: “I will ratify the National Dialogue's decisions without restrictions or conditions, within the framework of the powers of the president and the government.”

“I will approve all outcomes of the National Dialogue on the political, economic, and social tracks that come within my powers in accordance with the constitution and law,” he added.

“National Dialogue’s outcomes that are not part of the president’s and government’s powers will be referred to Parliament to be addressed by people’s representatives,” he continued.

President Sisi also gave reassurance messages regarding National Dialogue's demands of financial guardianship law amendments, issuance of information freedom law and formation of an anti-discrimination commission.

The Egyptian National Dialogue kicked off early in May to bring together political forces, civil society, youth, unions and other segments of society to discuss key national issues.

It took the dialogue a year of preparations to kick off in order to discuss priority topics in the political, economic and social tracks to reach a common ground among different participants representing the society.

Recommendations issued after the sessions are set to be sent to President Sisi, who called for the dialogue in April 2022 to include “all political forces without discrimination”.