Additional LE260M allocated to healthcare in Egypt in FY2020/2021 due to COVID-19

CAIRO - 23 May 2021: Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, approved raising allocations to the healthcare sector by LE260 million in current fiscal year 2020/2021 to increase hospitals' capacity of intensive care beds to 1,000 and introduce further 500 ventilators.

It is noted that the healthcare's share in the FY2020/2021 budget was initially worth LE93.5 billion, while that of the upcoming fiscal year's budget is planned to be LE108.8 billion, according to the Ministry of Finance in April.

The minister explained that there is a growth in public investments directed to the projects of the Ministry of Health in the next fiscal year 2021/2022, for them to amount to LE 47.5 billion, an increase of 205% compared to FY20/2021, including projects of the Decent Life presidential initiative.

El-Said explained that the most important programs and initiatives of the health sector in the next fiscal year are to provide the necessary funds to enter service hospitals and to accelerate the rates of implementation of health facilities under construction and development to quickly enter service and start to benefit citizens from them.

"It is intended to complete 23 hospitals, the completion rate of which is currently 77%, as well as the initiative of the National Project for Self-Sufficiency in Plasma Derivatives, which aims to establish 20 plasma collection centers and a central strategic store," El-Said explained.

El-Said added that the health sector initiatives within the 2021/2022 plan include developing critical and urgent care departments in hospitals, expanding the availability of intensive care beds, as well as implementing the objectives of the “Women's Health” initiative to provide the best service for breast cancer patients by raising the efficiency of medical staff and developing the infrastructure to ensure treatment quality.

Dr. Hala El-Said indicated that the health sector initiatives include enhancing the capacity of health facilities to provide medical services in a distinguished manner in light of confronting the Coronavirus, increasing coverage rates in university hospitals at the governorate level, and enabling them, and creating an electronic health record for all visitors.

 Regarding the plan to develop the Egyptian family during FY2021/2022, El-Said explained that it aims to improve population characteristics, control population growth, and work to raise the efficiency of 125 integrated hospitals.

Moreover, the plan aims to operate 200 sewing workshops attached to Al-Takamol hospitals, providing and making available family planning methods, operating 20 family development centers, in addition to financing 350,000 micro-projects, and automating family planning services and linking databases together.