Beneficiaries of new health system can book appointments by phone or in person: official

CAIRO - 12 October 2019: The Ministry of Health announced that beneficiaries of the Universal Health Insurance System have to book ahead appointments at registered medical centers and units either by phone or in person.

Beneficiaries have to use while reserving the identification number they receive upon registration in the system. As such, physicians will have access to the file recording the patients' medical history, which helps them provide adequate diagnosis and treatment.

Executive Director of the Universal Health Insurance System Ahmed al-Sobky stated earlier this month that 6,000 surgeries have been carried out within the recently introduced system, and that registration locations in Ismailiyah will be announced soon.

The pilot phase was launched in Port Said in July 2019, registering until now 506,000 citizens. The first phase of the system - set to be introduced gradually until 2030 - includes the governorates of Port Said, Ismailiyah, Suez, Luxor, Aswan, and South Sinai.

The official clarified that the introduction of the system in a governorate requires first capacity-building of medical establishments and teams, and the registration of citizens in medical units and centers.

In September, the pilot phase in Ismailiyah started by registering 400 families and upgrading the medical units and centers.

Officials at the Universal Health Insurance Authority told Egypt Today in the same month that the system will be introduced in Ismailiyah governorate as a pilot phase starting January 2020.

The number of hospitals set to be part of the system is seven, while the number of medical units has not been decided yet. The officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said that 16 medical units and centers are being developed and equipped to start operation within the new system at the designated date.