How far along is the government’s universal healthcare coverage scheme? We previouslybroke down the Madbouly government’s vision for how the universal healthcare ins. scheme will pan out once it’s fully rolled out across the country by 2032. The scheme — which is designed to provide healthcare coverage for all citizens, regardless of their income bracket — is being rolled out across several phases, after the process kickedoff in2019. Today, we look at where the system currently stands, and the kinks that still need to be ironed out.

Where things stand geographically: The scheme is currently operational in Port Said and Luxor, and is being trialed in South Sinai and Ismailia. The trial phase will also extend to Aswan and Suez within weeks, according to the scheme’s Facebook page. In each governorate, individuals registered to the scheme have access to several primary healthcare units, primary care centers, specialized hospitals, fully integrated hospitals, diagnostics labs, pharmacies, and/or optometry centers.

The availability of each type of service varies across governorates. For example, Menoufia and Dakahlia currently only have one full-fledged hospital available under the program in each governorate, while Suez and Beheira only have diagnostics labs. Other governorates — including Port Said, Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, and Giza — have a wider range of services available.

Who’s doing what: The broad majority of the service providers currently available in these governorates are operated by the Universal Healthcare Ins. Authority (UHIS), but a small handful are also operated by the Suez Canal Authority and the private sector. Among the private sector providers: Almokhtabar Labs, Alborg Labs, Cure Lab, Egypt Biolabs, and Alfa Labs, in addition to private sector-run hospitals, such as Shefaa Al Orman Oncology Hospital, Elaraby Hospital, and Misr International Hospital’s ophthalmology unit in Dokki, among others.

So far, it’s unclear how private health ins. providers will be looped into the healthcare system: There is still a lack of clarity on “the process of setting and revising the provider payment methods,” a policy research paper (pdf) notes. Private providers such as Axa Egypt have signed cooperation agreements with the General Authority for Healthcare (GAH) to extend the providers’ coverage to a broader network of service providers. But as it currently stands, there are no private ins. providers looped into the universal coverage system, according to a World Health Organization representative who spoke to Enterprise on the condition of anonymity.

How could the system handle payments to private ins. providers? The private sector is in talks with the government and is hoping to enact legislative changes to the Universal Healthcare Act that would clearly outline their role in the coverage system, and how payments will be handled, Al Mal previously reported. One suggestion on the table is for the law to allow for dual coverage, whereby citizens can have both private ins. coverage and register with the government’s universal healthcare system, according to Ins. Federation of Egypt Chairman Alaa El Zoheiry. This proposal would, if implemented, see private ins. services offered at lower price points since the GAH would incur parts of the cost, El Zoheiry said.

By the numbers: Some 4.5 mn people have registered on the system to date, a UHIA official who requested to remain unnamed told Enterprise. The number of government medical facilities authorized to join the system has reached 156, while there are currently 108 private sector facilities under the system, the source added. Some 17 mn medical services have been provided since the program was rolled out, including 256k surgeries, 8 mn family-medicine services, and 2 mn checkups, the source told us.

UHIA has reeled in a total of EGP 72.8 bn in revenues from the launch of the system until December 2022, with a total surplus of c. EGP 67 bn, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said earlier this year. The authority paid EGP 3.4 bn in return for the medical ins. services offered by service providers who are part of the coverage network, Maait added.

Your top infrastructure stories for the week:

  • Scatec interconnector studies to go ahead: Ministers approved the signing of an MoU with Norwegian renewables developer Scatec to study a new 3-GW Egypt-Europe electricity interconnection project.
  • Renewables-powered desalination: The Sovereign Fund of Egypt prequalified 17consortiums to bid in upcoming tenders for renewables-powered desalination plants, according to a statement.
  • Khazna Data Centers + Benya partner on hyperscale data center: UAE-based Khazna Data Centers will establish Egypt’s first hyperscale data center in partnership with local IT infrastructure firm Benya Group.
  • Al Kharafi + Samcrete to build new water infrastructure in Fayoum: Al Kharafi & Sons and Samcrete have beenawardedseveral contracts under the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development-backed (EBRD) Fayoum wastewater treatment project.
  • Siemens + Giza Systems are keeping the lights on at remote development projects: Siemens Energy and Giza Systems have delivered four mobile substations for the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company over the past 10 months.
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