Highlights: 8 years of unprecedented attention directed to Egypt’s health sector

CAIRO – 15 June 2022: Egypt’s health sector has received unprecedented attention over the past 8 years, with the state launching, under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, a package of urgent health services to bridge the gap in services that faced shortages and low standards.

Egypt was keen to rehabilitate and develop the health infrastructure to keep pace with the development in the performance of the health service. This was done through the application of the new comprehensive health insurance system, and the launch of a package of health reforms to expedite the provision of service to the citizen quickly, in light of the application of quality standards adopted globally in order to achieve patient satisfaction with the service .

Dr. Hala Al-Saeed, Minister of Planning, confirmed that the objectives of the plan for the new fiscal year 2022/2023 in the health sector are the establishment and development of 94 hospitals and 480 health units, as well as the introduction of 36 hospitals into service at a cost of about 2 billion pounds.

According to a report by the ministry, the state directed about 572 billion pounds, from the Egyptian general budget, for government spending on the health sector during the previous 8 years (14/2015-21/2022), with a growth rate of 285 percent compared to the previous eight years (2007/06-13/2014).

We monitor what was stated in the Ministry of Planning report, to raise the growth rates in the sector:

-   Annual government spending rose from 31 billion pounds in 2014/13 to 109 billion pounds in 21/2022, with a growth rate of 252 percent.

-   Public investment directed to the health sector during the same period exceeded 132 billion pounds, with a growth rate of 450 percent.

-       The annual public investment directed to the sector increased from 3.7 billion pounds in 2014/13 to 54 billion pounds in 21/2022, with a growth rate of more than 1,360 percent.

-       Implementation of the first phase of the comprehensive health insurance system in 5 governorates, with a number of beneficiaries of 6.1 million citizens, who constitute 6 percent of the Egyptian population.

-       Providing more than 11 million medical and treatment services to beneficiaries of comprehensive health insurance.

-       The "100 Million Health" initiative was launched, and examined 60 million citizens.

-       Achieving self-sufficiency in medicines and eliminating the problem of children's milk shortage.

-       The treatment initiative at the state's expense benefits about 20 million citizens.