After years of discussion the new universal healthcare scheme came into effect this year with a pilot launch in Port Said as of July. Seven general hospitals, four medical centres and 25 healthcare units have been upgraded to receive patients under the new scheme in the coastal governorate.
Port Said resident Salah Abbas, 69, finds the new system extremely useful. Against a seven per cent deduction from his pension he can access free medical services, from initial examinations to open-heart surgery, bone-marrow transplants, neurology and micro-surgery.
When he first read reports about the system he headed straight to his nearest healthcare unit to file the needed information and receive his medical insurance card.
The universal healthcare scheme represents a much needed improvement in healthcare, says Ahmed Atta, the former head of hospitals affiliated to the General Authority for Health Insurance. The old system did not cover all Egyptians or provide for all treatments. People would have to apply for state support, which was a cumbersome process, and required a host of documents to prove their medical status.
The new system is being implemented in phases and will cover all governorates by 2032. Following the trial run in Port Said, the government system is being rolled out in Luxor, South Sinai, Ismailia, Suez and Aswan where, according to a Ministry of Health statement issued in November, work is already underway to develop the healthcare infrastructure. It includes the upgrading of 246 clinics and 42 hospitals and the construction of 30 new health units.
According to the Health Ministry, 500,000 citizens have been registered in the health insurance system in the affected governorates and training programmes are being carried out to ensure the provision of quality services.
To finance the new scheme employers pay four per cent of each employee’s monthly salary. Employees pay one per cent of their salaries, with an additional three per cent deduction to cover an unemployed spouse and one per cent for each child. The state will pay the equivalent of five per cent of the minimum wage to cover healthcare of people whose low incomes mean they cannot afford to pay into the system.
Additional sources of financing include 0.25 per cent of corporation tax and a levy of 0.5 per cent on the revenues of food and pharmaceutical companies. A portion of the fees collected through road tolls, the renewal of driving licences and taxes on cigarettes will also help finance the healthcare scheme.
Alongside efforts to roll out the insurance scheme, the government launched several new health initiatives and followed up on others already underway.
The new initiatives included early screening for breast cancer and consciousness raising and treatment schemes for tumours of the uterus, osteoporosis and reproductive health.
Children were the focus of many government initiatives. Nour Al-Hayat (Light of Life), which combats the causes of blindness and poor vision among school children, was launched early in the year, targeting 10 million primary school students. The scheme aims to provide one million corrective glasses and 250,000 operations for children needing eye surgery.
Obesity, anaemia and stunting among school students were the target of a collaborative campaign by the education and health ministries. The campaign targeted 11.5 million primary students at 22,000 schools across Egypt. Pupils were screened for anaemia, obesity and nutritional stunting and, where appropriate, referred for medical treatment. The campaign grew out of a much smaller initiative which examined 500 children and found high levels of anaemia.
The government continued with its 100 Million Healthy Lives which aims to eradicate Hepatitis C in Egypt by 2022. In 2016 an estimated 40,000 Egyptians died of the disease, and up to five million were thought to be infected.
The 100 Million Healthy Lives Initiative was launched in October 2018 under the auspices of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and lasted until April 2019. It screened more than 52 million citizens for Hepatitis C (HCV).
The campaign also examined patients for high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Citizens needed only to turn up at one of the mobile clinics and present their ID to be tested free of charge. Anyone found to have the virus was directed to a general hospital where they underwent further tests and, if necessary, began treatment. While the full 12-week course of anti-Hepatitis C drug treatment costs $84,000 in the US, the Egyptian government was able to agree a deal with the drug providers and acquire the course for $900.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom presented President Al-Sisi with a verification report covering the 100 Million Healthy Lives, Women’s Health and Children’s Health initiatives.
“WHO supports Al-Sisi’s initiatives to provide healthcare to Egyptian and African citizens… the organisation is Egypt’s partner in implementing the 100 Million Healthy Lives initiative, as well as all initiatives aimed to address health problems in Egypt and Africa,” said Adhanom.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 December, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the title: To good health
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