Egypt eyes prefabricated hospitals in new healthcare system

CAIRO - 13 October 2019: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met on Sunday Chairman of GK Medical Management Kamal bin Gilani al-Ghariby to discuss introducing prefabricated hospitals in Egypt to be part of the Universal Health Insurance System.

Prefabricated hospitals are characterized by power-saving features, and advanced garbage disposal mechanisms. The corporate eyes other investments that will be coordinated with the Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met in September with Chairman of Acwa Power Mohamed Abdullah Abou Neyan operating in the sectors of desalination and renewable energy to examine possibilities of establishing new desalination plants in Egypt.

Acwa Power already has investments in Egypt embodied in solar stations with a capacity of 160 MW and an initial cost worth $190 million in Aswan’s Benban Solar Park. That is in addition to another solar project in Aswan’s Kom Embo with a capacity of 200 MW and a combined-cycle power plant worth $1 billion.

The pilot phase of the Universal Health Insurance System was launched in Port Said in July 2019, with 506,000 citizens registered so far. 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.