The Madbouly cabinet approved two key measures aimed at boosting health tourism and streamlining customs procedures during its weekly meeting yesterday, according to a cabinet statement.

#1- The cabinet approved a decision to establish the National Health Tourism Council, which will be tasked with regulating and promoting health tourism services across the country, aiming to attract more tourists seeking medical care in Egypt. It will develop a national health tourism strategy, awareness programs and marketing policies, encourage private sector participation, and set service quality benchmarks aligned with international standards. The council will be chaired by the health minister and will meet at least quarterly.

The council will also launch an electronic platform for health tourism while facilitating access to services and setting mechanisms for receiving and addressing patient complaints.

#2- The cabinet also greenlit the formation of a committee to implement a risk management system for customs clearance, an initiative that seeks to streamline imports. This committee will develop the framework for implementing the system, monitor its execution, and propose legislative changes. The system will be tied to Egyptian customs platform Nafeza.

ALSO FROM CABINET-

The government is in talks to amend the Old Rent Law and is obligated to issue its executive regulations before the end of the legislative session to comply with last year's Supreme Constitutional Court ruling, Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly said during his weekly presser (watch, runtime: 47:02).

REMEMBER- The Supreme Constitutional Court last November ruled the fixed rent for residential properties stipulated in the so-called “old rent” law as unconstitutional and called on lawmakers to amend the first two articles of the law before the legislative season comes to a close. The court argued that the fixed annual rent cap set at 7% of the land and building’s value at the time of licensing showed the law’s failure to take into account inflation, is unfair, and denies landlords rights afforded to them under the constitution.

What could the changes look like? The government's proposals include establishing baseline rent figures for properties in cities and villages and implementing gradual increases over a transitional period of at least five years to accommodate social concerns, Madbouly explained. He noted that while landlords have suffered under decades-old rent control laws, many tenants lack the financial means to immediately transition to market rates. The proposed regulations will be presented to the parliament for discussion.

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