Egypt: Phase 2 of Universal Health Insurance Launched

In this iPMI Global regional country guides article, international private medical insurance report author and market analyst Ian Youngman, takes a look news that phase 2 of universal health insurance has been launched in Egypt.

• President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi has ordered the launch of the second phase of Egypt’s universal health insurance system.
• Universal health insurance aims to reform the entire healthcare system not just insurance.
• The goal is to provide healthcare services that cover all citizens and all diseases.
• The second phase of UHI rollout will include the governorates of Damietta, Marsa Matrouh, Kafr Al-Sheikh, North Sinai, and Minya.
• The second phase will cover 12 million citizens and that implementation will occur in parallel with the initiative to improve health services in rural areas.
• Implementation of the first phase, in the low population density governorates of Port Said, Suez, Ismailia, South Sinai, Aswan, and Luxor took five years to complete for five million people.
• The six-phase healthcare scheme started in the governorate of Port Said in late 2019 and later expanded to Luxor and Ismailia.
• The launch of the second phase should have started at the beginning of 2024, but financial and technical problems, including a lack of infrastructure and of statistical information, caused delays.
• The UHI system covers more than 3,000 health services, including surgical operations, medical diagnostic tests, radiology scans, tumour treatments, organ transplants, and prosthetic devices.
• Services are provided by both public and private sector hospitals and medical institutes.
• Under UHI, the private sector receives 75 per cent of costs up front and the remaining 25 per cent once the relevant paperwork is audited.
• Medical services under the first phase are being provided by 78 hospitals and 202 healthcare services.
• The plan is to have full cover by 2027.

Analysis

• Healthcare providers and insurers are allowed to offer supplementary cover and manage the scheme in some provinces.
• The new state health insurance is optional for foreigners who are earning their income or living in Egypt.
• Under the new state health insurance -participation is optional for Egyptians living abroad and working overseas.
• As well as conventional private medical insurance and international private medical insurance there is takaful health.

About the Author

Ian Youngman is an independent writer and researcher specialising in insurance. He writes regularly for a variety of magazines, newsletters, and on-line services. He publishes a range of market reports, and undertakes research for companies. To read his latest report, International Health Insurance 2023, please click here, or visit the REPORTS section of iPMI Global.