Egypt’s Minister of Health Hala Zayed visited several medical institutions in Ismailia governorate, to follow up on their preparations for the trial operation of the comprehensive health insurance system.
Ministry of Health Spokesperson Khaled Mogahed said the minister’s visit comes as part of her keenness for the in-person follow-up of the ongoing preparations of and equipment available at medical facilities.
According to Mogahed, the minister inspected several hospitals and family medicine units that are being developed in Ismailia governorate.
Zayed also reviewed the process of registering citizens and opening family medicine files, which was started in October 2019.
The minister also held a meeting with health directors in Ismailia governorate, to find out the latest developments and ongoing equipment preparations for the trial operation of the new system. The visit included a review of the ministry’s plan to address the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Ismailia is one of the five governorates taking part in the first phase of the comprehensive health insurance system. This phase covers the governorates of Ismailia, Suez, Luxor, Aswan, and South Sinai, where registration of citizens started in October 2019.
The registration is taking place in preparation for the new system’s implementation, with the new system already launched in the Port Said Governorate in July 2019.
In May 2019, Zayed said that the project is being implemented in the first phase governorates in accordance with the time plan set. She noted that a sum of EGP 17.5bn, which was requested to support the ministry’s budget, is part of a total amount of EGP 33.5bn needed for supporting Egypt’s medical sector.
In February 2020, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly made note of the Egyptian Government’s intention for doubling expenditure on health in the new fiscal year. The allocations for health in the current budget stand at EGP 73bn, with the upcoming budget set to allocate EGP 146bn to this sector, according to a cabinet statement.
