Port Said, the first station for the Egyptian medical insurance journey

CAIRO - 26 February 2018: The Egyptian Ministry of Health officially launched a project which aims to improve healthcare in five Egyptian governorates, three of which are included in the first stage of the medical insurance improvement program, according to a statement from the French Embassy in Cairo on Monday, regarding the program, which is funded by the Agence Francaise De Developpement (AFD) with a value of €31 million.

Starting with Port Said governorate, the program was launched, in the presence of Minister of Health, Ahmed Rady, the French ambassador to Egypt, Stephan Romateh and the governor of Port Said, Adel el-Ghadban.

“The state supplied the governorate with more than LE 10 million for building and improving 40 health units and 10 hospitals,” revealed el-Ghadban, in a press conference on Monday.


Minister of Health Ahmd Rady in a visit to a hospital in Port Said Feb. 26, 2018 - Press photo

Each health unit is expected to serve 20 thousand citizens with a total of 800 thousand citizens for all the units, and will start working next May, according to Rady.

“President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is following up on the program execution day by day and stresses on its fast delivery,” Rady added.

The new medical insurance program law was stated by the Egyptian Parliament last December and was approved by president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in January 2018, including all the Egyptian governorates, and starting with canal cities, Port Said, Suez and Ismailia and will be applied gradually starting July this year till it covers all the country in 2032.

The French Agency for Development (AFD) is a finance sector under the guise of the French state and the main executive for the French general developments aids. In keeping with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the AFD works in many sectors, energy, healthcare, biodiversity, water, digital technology, professional training, among others to assist with transitions towards a safer, more equitable, and more sustainable world as their slogan explains; “a world in common.”

Through a network of 85 field offices, they currently finance, monitor and assist more than 2,500 development projects in 108 countries.

Port Said is a very important Egyptian governorate geographically and economically, it has been ranked the second among the Egyptian cities according to the Human Development Index in 2009 and 2010, the economic base of the city is fishing and industries, like chemicals, processed food and cigarettes.

Port Said isn’t only an important harbor for exports of Egyptian products like cotton and rice, but also a fueling station for ships that pass through the Suez Canal. It thrives on being a duty-free port, as well as a tourist resort especially during summer.