Egypt’s Minister of Finance, Mohamed Moeit, said that his ministry is discussing with a group of consultants the amendments of the New Universal Health Coverage Law, expecting the amendments to be presented in Parliament shortly.
“The new law will be applied in Port Said in June as a pilot area for application,” he mentioned over his speech at the event organised by the British Business Association (BEBA) on Monday titled “Healthcare: New Frontiers for Egypt”.
The new system will allow people to choose their service providers, Moeit said, adding that Egypt has learnt from its failed experiences of creating a decent healthcare insurance system.
“We started the health insurance system in 1964. We were one of the first countries to have this kind of systems, but it suffered from a lack of financial sustainability and political interference, so it failed,” he noted.
The minister acknowledged that the new system will face some challenges related to the infrastructure and technology, adding, “We have to develop ourselves. I have been working on this new system for the past 20 years and it is the right time to implement it.”
Moreover, Moeit noted that he will visit Port Said shortly along with Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly to identify the preparation of applying the new law on the ground.
“We have applied a system of health coverage in Suez, yet it did not continue as there was not a law on the ground. This time, we are optimistic about Port Said, we are not afraid of failure because we have finance, a new law, and the most important is the political leadership,” he mentioned.
Health is the most fundamental right for the human being, the minister affirmed, adding that what is special about the new system is that it came after several studies.
“We would like to give all the support needed for the Egyptians after enduring a very tough economic programme,” he noted, adding that the government is highly counting on the role of the private sector.
Moeit called on the British companies to contribute to health projects, adding that Egypt enjoys very good opportunities following the application of the new system.
