Egypt's cabinet approved Wednesday a more than doubling of subsidies for the country's health insurance system, to LE2.5 billion from LE811 million originally allocated in the current fiscal year, to benefit some 50 million citizens.
Nearly 60 percent of all Egyptians are covered by the Health Insurance General Authority, Adel Adawy, minister of health, stated in December 2014.
The Ministry of Health previously submitted a request for the increase in subsidies for the health insurance scheme, to abide by Egypt's recent constitution approved in 2014 in which is established that the state has to allocate at least three percent of GDP to the health sector. This would increase gradually until international global rates are met.
A World Bank report, released earlier this week, recommended the Egyptian government expand mandatory social health insurance to all citizens by 2030, to ensure that health spending would not contribute to poverty.
According to the report, entitled "A Roadmap to Achieve Social Justice in Health in Egypt," the government should start with the poor and gradually include the informal sector.
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