The announcement was made following a meeting of the finance minister, Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat and representatives from the four international institutions.

Maait said that $4.2 million out of the total sum are expected to be provided within the coming few months.

"The universal health insurance system is a turning point in Egypt’s government work programme that contributes to attaining inclusive growth in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the UN’s global sustainable development goals (SDGs) as well as the Africa We Want agenda 2063," Maait said.

Minister Al-Mashat said that Egypt’s healthcare sector proved its resilience in facing the pandemic by providing all the necessary healthcare tools to preserve public health and safety.

Al-Mashat added that the current project portfolio in the Egyptian healthcare sector includes 32 projects worth $1.4 billion that serve SDG 3 regarding good health and wellbeing.

Marina Wes, regional director of the World Bank office in Egypt, Yemen, and Djibouti, said that the facility contributes to extending the universal health insurance system to cover six governorates, improves citizens’ lives, and enhances the governance in the sector.

AFD country director for Egypt Fabio Grazi said that the agency supports the reformist initiatives in Egypt and that the announced facility guarantees the financial sustainability of the system.

Egypt launched the universal health insurance system in 2019 to be applied in five governorates: Port Said, Ismailia, Aswan, Luxor and Suez.

The system aims at extending high-quality medical services to the public without discrimination at affordable costs for the entire family.