In a statement, the authority said the surgery was conducted in two stages on a 44-year-old patient, suffering from a dissection of the descending aorta, ulcers in the aortic arch, and a hematoma in the ascending aorta.
"The surgical procedure is among the most precise and complex medical interventions, with an estimated cost of EGP 1.5 million in the private sector. However, the patient only paid EGP 450 as a co-payment under the UHIS," Universal Health Insurance Authority (UHIA) Chairman Ahmed El-Sobky stated.
El-Sobky noted that Luxor Governorate has witnessed over 110,000 advanced and skilled surgeries since implementing the UHIS, with more than a third being complex and first of their kind in Egypt's deep south.
The six-phase scheme started experimentally in Port Said in 2018 and later expanded to Luxor, Ismailia, South Sinai, Suez, and Luxor. Aswan will be the sixth and final governorate in this initial phase and is expected to see its implementation in July.
The first phase costs more than EGP 51 billion, mainly aimed at upgrading medical infrastructure.
According to UHIA Vice Chair Ihab Abu Aish, the second phase of UHIS will begin later this year. It will include the governorates of Damietta, Marsa Matrouh, Kafr El-Sheikh, North Sinai, and Minya.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said earlier that the second stage of the UHIS scheme is estimated to cost EGP 115 billion.
The UHIS was scheduled to cover all governorates by 2032, but per presidential directives, the project will be completed nationwide by 2027.
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