During the hospital visit, Madbouly toured a hotel-style room where the British tourist was staying, welcomed him to Egypt and Luxor, and asked about the level of medical care he was receiving.
The tourist said he was receiving high-quality medical treatment in a setting similar to a hotel. He later told local television that healthcare services in Egypt were “very good” and, in his opinion, better than those in England.
Madbouly stressed the importance of maintaining the highest standards of medical and treatment services at all hospitals affiliated with Egypt’s Healthcare Authority (EHA), particularly in Luxor. He noted that the city serves residents, patients from other governorates in Upper Egypt, and large numbers of foreign tourists.
In the oncology department, the prime minister spoke with patients preparing for chemotherapy sessions and asked about the quality of care and the length of their treatment.
According to a cabinet statement, one elderly patient said he had been receiving treatment for nearly a year and described the level of care in all hospital departments as excellent.
EHA Chairman Ahmed El-Sobky said incubators are available for all children who need them across the governorate, with no waiting lists.
He added that patient cases are monitored digitally using tablets that allow access to medical histories and ongoing follow-up.
El-Sobky said Karnak International Hospital is one of the authority’s leading healthcare facilities and plays an important role in medical tourism in Upper Egypt, due to its advanced services, modern infrastructure, and equipment comparable to that of major international hospitals.
He said the hospital has 149 beds, including 39 intensive care beds, as well as 44 dialysis machines, 10 incubators, and seven operating theatres.
El-Sobky also highlighted recently introduced services, including the oncology unit, the addition of 18 intensive care beds, and the full operation of the emergency department.
He said that in 2025, the hospital expanded its intensive care capacity from 21 to 39 beds, opened the oncology unit with 12 chemotherapy chairs, launched an intermediate care unit to support critical care services, and carried out brain tumour removal surgeries using the CUSA device and surgical navigation systems during one of the major medical convoys.
El-Sobky said the authority is working to provide healthcare services that meet the highest international standards while keeping costs as low as possible for patients.
He cited the case of a six-year-old girl whose surgery cost EGP 3.6 million, while her family paid only EGP 428.
As part of his visit to Luxor, Madbouly also inspected several first-phase projects under the Haya Karima initiative in Al-Rayayna village in the Armant district. The tour included the sewage pumping station, the Citizens’ Services Complex, also known as the technological centre, and progress on the Family and Childhood Development Building.
Luxor Governor Abdel-Motaleb Mamdouh Emara said the Citizens’ Services Complex is one of the key projects under Haya Karima and contributes to improving infrastructure and public services to enhance residents’ quality of life.
Major General Abdullah Ashour, secretary-general of Luxor Governorate, said the governorate has 22 technological centres, including 13 in villages covered by the Haya Karima initiative.
During the visit, the prime minister also received a briefing from Governor Emara on the status of the first-phase Haya Karima projects in Luxor Governorate.
The governor said the first phase covers the Isna district through nine local administrative units and the Armant district through four units, serving a total of 34 villages.
He added that 13 government service complexes, 13 agricultural service complexes, 17 social solidarity projects, 31 electricity network projects, eight gravity sewage network projects, 18 sewage force-main projects, 18 sewage pumping station projects, and six household sewage connection projects have been completed and handed over.
The governor also said that 50 irrigation canal lining and cleaning projects have been completed, along with five main road projects, 20 irrigation bridge projects, 100 school projects involving new construction and upgrades, 37 youth centre projects, seven local development facilities, 16 ambulance service projects, three asphalt road projects, and 30 drinking water network projects.
He added that the first phase of the Haya Karima initiative in the Armant and Isna districts includes 778 projects, of which 670 have been completed. Work is continuing to finalize the remaining projects and address outstanding observations before completing the entire first phase.
Launched in 2019, Egypt’s Haya Karima initiative is the country’s largest integrated rural development programme. It aims to improve living standards and access to basic services in the most underserved villages, particularly in Upper Egypt.
The initiative targets more than 4,500 villages and their surrounding hamlets nationwide, benefiting over 60 million people. It focuses on areas with the highest poverty rates and weakest service coverage, combining infrastructure development with social, health, education, and economic projects.
Haya Karima is being implemented in phases, starting with the most deprived areas. Projects are carried out simultaneously within each village to maximize impact, rather than through separate sector-based efforts. Early priority governorates have included Luxor, Sohag, Minya, Assiut, and Qena.
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