In a statement on Thursday, Health Ministry Spokesperson Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar said the figures reflect the government’s ongoing commitment to reducing the financial burden on citizens and expanding access to quality medical care, particularly for vulnerable groups.
He explained that the treatment decisions covered a wide range of medical specialities, including spinal surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, ENT, internal medicine, general surgery, dermatology, neurology, haematology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, urology, immunology, vascular surgery, interventional radiology, oncology, hepatology, maxillofacial surgery, endocrinology, rehabilitation, and renal dialysis.
Abdel-Ghaffar added that the ministry had also reviewed 2,045 medical cases remotely through video conferencing, enabling treatment approvals without requiring patients to travel to medical councils in person. This, he said, “saves citizens time and effort while ensuring equal access to services nationwide.”
Meanwhile, Mohamed Al-Aqqad, director-general of the Specialized Medical Councils (SMC), stated that medical committees across all governorates examined 78,056 applications from citizens seeking the Integrated Services Card, which facilitates access to government health and social protection programmes.
According to Al-Aqqad, medical teams also screened 65,196 citizens under the Takaful and Karama cash support programme, conducting medical evaluations for 13,105 applicants seeking tax- and customs-exempt vehicles for persons with disabilities.
The health ministry reaffirmed its commitment to governance and transparency in medical procedures, emphasizing that all examinations for persons with disabilities are conducted through official medical committees in coordination with university hospitals, the Armed Forces, and the police medical services.
Completed applications are then referred to the Ministry of Social Solidarity, which issues the service cards to eligible beneficiaries.
In 2024, the health ministry also provided state-funded medical treatment to over 2.3 million citizens, at a total cost exceeding EGP 24.2 billion, underscoring the government’s growing commitment to expanding access to healthcare amid economic pressures and rising medical costs.
Egypt’s state-funded treatment programme is one of the central pillars of the country’s efforts to achieve universal health coverage and ensure equitable access to medical care for low-income and uninsured citizens.
The system is administered by the SMC under the Ministry of Health and Population, in cooperation with a nationwide network of public, university, and specialized hospitals.
Launched in the 1970s, the initiative has expanded significantly under President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s broader social protection agenda, which includes the Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS), the Decent Life (Hayah Karima) rural development programme, and the Takaful and Karama cash support schemes.
Together, these initiatives aim to reduce inequality and provide comprehensive health and social protection for vulnerable groups.
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