The announcement was made during the High-Level Forum on Universal Health Coverage, currently taking place in the Japanese capital Tokyo. Egypt is represented by a delegation headed by Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat. The delegation also includes Healthcare Authority President Ahmed Al-Sobky and Universal Health Insurance Authority Executive Director Mai Farid.
What is UHC Hub?
The UHC Hub aims to support countries’ efforts to expand universal health coverage, promote investment in health systems, and reinforce their role in human development, economic growth, job creation, and resilience. The first group of participating countries includes eight countries: Egypt, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, and the Philippines.
Al-Mashat said Egypt’s participation in the hub marks an important step in advancing national efforts to build a more efficient health system. She stressed that the platform will help Egypt tap into global best practices in health financing, develop evidence-based policies, and strengthen the skills of health-sector workers. The cooperation, she added, will support the country’s plans to ensure all citizens can access high-quality healthcare without facing financial burdens.
Moreover, Al-Mashat highlighted Egypt’s progress in implementing the Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS) in partnership with the World Bank and other development partners. She noted that healthcare remains a top national priority, backed by a range of presidential initiatives that have expanded access to medical services across the country.
Egypt’s UHIC was launched in 2018 as part of broader health‑sector reforms aiming to replace a fragmented set of insurance schemes dating back to the 1960s with a unified system that reduces out‑of‑pocket spending and protects households from high health costs.
The law makes coverage compulsory for all residents in Egypt and optional for Egyptians abroad, with the family defined as the basic unit of insurance and a legal commitment that the state finances contributions for the poor according to means‑tested criteria.
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