CAIRO: A dedicated department for state-sponsored medical treatment will be installed in every governorate, the health ministry said.
New Minister of Health Ashraf Hatem has undertaken a series of reforms in the troubled health sector, with the state-sponsored program on top of the list.
Under the program, patients will refer to this department when they face difficulties issuing the decree for medical treatment paid by the state from the hospital. The minister explained in a press statement that the administrative work is not the patient’s responsibility, whether they are receiving treatment for free or through health insurance.
Hatem has ordered a maximum amount of LE 2 million to be paid for each Health Affairs Authority in every governorate, which will go into funding for emergency rooms.
Hatem has earlier expanded the state medical treatment program to include 300 hospitals, in comparison to 130 hospitals before.
New reforms to the program also includes nearly doubling the number of diseases, such as orthopedic, ophthalmology, cardiac surgery, chest and a number of tumors, that are now be treated under the state program.
There will also be a number of regulations on the program to ensure that every citizen gets an equal opportunity, as well as supervising all hospitals, whether public or university hospitals, in which the program is available in order to review the amount spent on each case.
More than 300 public and university hospitals are expected to be connected to the Special Medical Councils in Cairo through the internet. This would help in eliminating nepotism in the issuing treatment decrees and provide an alternative to citizens having to commute to Cairo for paper work.
Hatem also announced that a nationwide network is under construction, which will include all hospitals, universities, public and others, in which there are Intensive Care Units and incubators for babies.
The hotline 133 will be available to direct those in need of an ICU bed or incubator to the nearest hospital.
Regarding internal reform within the ministry, the minster said there will be a committee to receive all the complaints by the employees. The ministry will also undergo a restructuring process so that employees doing the same job get equal benefits.
