The Health Ministry has completed drafting the new health insurance bill and will send it to parliament for ratification, said Minister of Health Ahmed Emad during his speech at the Arab African Pharmacist Conference on Thursday.
The health insurance bill has been a source of controversy between the Health Ministry and the Doctors Syndicate since it’s drafting in 2015. The bill was exchanged back and forth between both parties due to substantial errors, according to the Doctors Syndicate.
According to statements by Doctors Syndicate Secretary General Mona Mina in early April, the latest version of the bill is the best version thus far as it includes a wider array of ailments that were previously excluded under the umbrella of state health insurance. This includes mental health diseases, injuries caused by natural disasters, and preventative treatment.
A number of articles in the bill, however, were not amended, raising concerns from the syndicate side as the Health Ministry said the bill will soon be reviewed by the parliament.
Those articles tackle the definition of people in need of insurance, the rights of doctors and medical service providers, in addition to the actuarial studies needed for the project.
