Health, higher education ministers discuss linking public, universities’ hospitals

CAIRO – 20 June 2018: Ministers of higher education and health met Tuesday to discuss a cooperation protocol between the two ministries to link universities’ hospitals with those of the Health Ministry.

Newly-appointed Health Minister Hala Zayed called for quick electronic linking between universities’ hospitals and public hospitals, highlighting the importance of benefiting from special and experienced professors working in universities’ hospitals.


Newly-appointed Health Minister Hala Zayed called for quick electronic linking between universities’ hospitals and public hospitals - Egypt Today/Mohamed Al-Hossari
The two ministers agreed during the meeting on including universities’ hospitals in the new health insurance law. Under this law, the government will fully cover the treatment of citizens who cannot afford it and will improve the quality of medical services in public hospitals by inspecting and supervising medical facilities.

The law is set to be implemented in the duration of 15 years to include all Egyptian governorates.

The ministers also agreed on backing health research projects, which have been presented in the National Conference for Scientific Research inaugurated by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in May under the title “Release of Egyptians’ Powers.”

Sisi affirmed during the meeting that the government is determined to achieve significant progress in the science and research fields, “We need you [scientists], and Egypt is in need of your research to overcome problems,” he stated.

Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, said that the next period will witness positive cooperation to boost the health system, affirming the importance of coordination between the two ministries in order to improve the service provided to patients.


Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, said that the next period will witness positive cooperation to boost the health system - Egypt Today/Mohamed Al-Hossari
Nationwide there are about 110 university hospitals serving patients, who are not necessarily university students, at relatively low prices and for free in some cases.

Saieed Abdel Hadi, dean of Mansoura University’s Faculty of Medicine, told the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper in February that all public and university hospitals suffer a shortage in the number of beds in their intensive care units.

MP Mohamed al-Amari, head of the Parliament’s Health Affairs Committee, said that the Parliament will summon Zayed in the next period to review her plans concerning health insurance and other issues that would help develop the health system.

Developing hospitals in Egypt’s different governorates, and looking after health care units in the countryside and providing these units with a sufficient number of doctors are among the most important issues that will be discussed during Zayed’s presence in the Parliament, MP Shadia Thabet of the Health Affairs Committee told Al-Shrouk.