Overview of Universal Health Insurance’s 1st month in Egypt

CAIRO - 3 August 2019: The Ministry of Health and Population announced on Saturday the progress achieved on the Universal Health Insurance System since it was launched a month ago in Port Said governorate where the pilot phase is taking place.

At 22 health centers and units, 28.3 percent of the governorate’s citizens have registered themselves and their families. The number of citizens registered is currently 260,966 - divided upon 77,846 - out of the targeted 920,000.

Citizens have to present their national IDs and the birth certificates of their children to register in the system. Later on, a medical check-up is carried out for free to create medical records for the family members.

Throughout that month, 1,461 surgeries were performed in seven hospitals that have become part of the Universal Health Insurance System. Those are Al Salam Port Said Hospital, Ophthalmology Hospital, Al Nasr Children Hospital, Al Tadamun Hospital, Al Hayat Port Fouad Hospital, Gynecology Hospital, and Al Zohour Hospital.

Some of the surgeries were done for the first time in the governorate. Those are three cornea transplant procedures, two glaucoma surgeries, 10 eyelid repair surgeries, installation of two cochlear implants, and 11 cardiac catheterization procedures.

The installation of the cochlear implants was assumed in Al Nasr Children Hospital, which houses a unit affiliated to Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation where the cardiac catheterization procedures took place. The unit, launched early in July, is still in the pilot phase, which will end in September. The nurses working in the unit are currently receiving training in the foundations' headquarters in Aswan.

As for the glaucoma surgeries, they were performed by Dr. Tarek Shaarawi, head of the glaucoma unit and the glaucoma surgery research group at the University of Geneva Hospitals for free. Dr. Shaarawi also volunteered to conduct 20 check-ups.

The duration of the process to open a family medical record was reduced from one hour to 10-15 minutes by better training the employees in charge. The referral procedures have been facilitated, and employees were assigned to guide citizens on how the process goes.

2nd batch of Egyptian doctors train in London on family medicine

CAIRO - 13 July 2019: The second batch of doctors to specialize in family medicine departed to London on Saturday to receive training. Much like the first batch trained in April, the delegation comprises 35 members who will return in a week.

In the first week of July, a bus toured Al Zohour neighborhood, and the Eatsern and Southern neighborhoods to campaign for the system and raise the citizens' awareness on the registration process. Furthermore, a bike race was held on July 27 for the same purpose.