The Annual International Conference of the Institute of National Planning (INP) concluded recently, with recommendations announced by Ashraf El-Araby, President of the INP. The conference, organised in collaboration with the USAID-funded Economic Governance Project and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), took place in Cairo over two days, from 24 to 25 June.
During the conference, experts discussed the vital connections between governance, health, and sustainable development across three key areas: enhancing economic governance reform, improving institutional development and public administration capacities, and implementing innovative service delivery models.
Highlights of the Second Day
The second day featured a session titled “Financing and Investment in the Health Sector: A Multi-Sectoral Perspective.” Moderated by Hossam Badrawi, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, and former Head of the Education and Scientific Research Committee in the Egyptian Parliament, the session featured major speakers including financial expert Sherif Sami, Chairperson of the National Company for Asset Management and Investment and board member of the General Authority for Universal Health Insurance, and Sameh El-Saharty, Programme Leader for Human Development-Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, World Bank. The session included insights from notable speakers.
El-Saharty presented a paper titled “Building Sustainable Healthy Communities through Public Health Investment,” which was further discussed by Michael Sparer, Research Scholar Nuoya Wu, and William Eimicke.
Additionally, Heba Nassar, Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, and former Vice President of Cairo University, provided valuable commentary during the conference.
Key Points and Recommendations:
- El-Saharty emphasized the need to balance performance improvement with cost control in health insurance. He recommended separating service providers from funding sources to ensure sustainable financing.
- Sparer suggested using the “100 Million Health” Program as a model to enhance Egypt’s public health system. His recommendations include reducing reliance on private payments, increasing centralized leadership during public health crises, and countering misinformation.
- Nassar stressed the importance of prioritizing health in the state budget. She called for strong political support and inter-ministerial cooperation to achieve comprehensive health coverage.
The second session, titled “Enhancing the Sustainability and Resilience of the Health Sector in Egypt: Recent Reforms and Roadmap,” chaired by Prof. Mahmoud El Meteini, featured Mona Gohary’s research on “Green Healthcare: Enhancing Sustainability through Sustainable Performance Standards – A model for Sustainable Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) in private hospitals in Egypt.” Gohary highlighted the need for a balance between financial measures and service delivery, emphasizing the importance of human resource development and performance measurement for sustainability.
Further Recommendations:
- Alshishtawy proposed a three-tiered roadmap to overcome health challenges in Egypt. His recommendations focus on affordable universal health services, enhanced healthcare infrastructure, and workforce development.
- Khalil discussed the evolution of healthcare in Egypt from 2014 to 2024. While highlighting improvements, he noted that personal health expenditure remains high due to inadequate public sector funding.
Closing Remarks
In his concluding address, El-Araby summarised the conference’s key findings:
Health as a Pillar of Sustainable Development: Health significantly impacts poverty rates, education quality, economic growth, inequality, and climate change. Achieving health development necessitates collaboration among governments, international organizations, the private sector, and civil society.
Governance and Investment: Effective governance ensures efficient resource utilization, improved service quality, and enhanced accountability and transparency. Investing in the health sector yields high returns both economically and developmentally.
Challenges: Addressing funding gaps, population growth, and the shortage of qualified healthcare professionals while reducing personal health expenditures.
Achievements: Notable enhancements in public health indicators, a comprehensive approach to curbing population growth, expanded health services, and the successful eradication of Hepatitis C.
Action Plan for Sustainable Health Development:
- Strengthen governance within the health sector.
- Support evidence-based approaches and health innovations.
- Ensure equitable access to healthcare resources.
- Focus on efficient spending and innovative financing.
- Prioritize primary healthcare to achieve universal coverage.
- Encourage private sector participation by removing barriers.
- Modernize healthcare infrastructure.
- Leverage global expertise in digital health.
- Foster intersectoral collaboration and community engagement.
- Ensure data availability for monitoring progress and evaluating outcomes.
These measures underscore the importance of prioritising health and adopting a transformative mindset in planning and decision-making.
