Egypt's High Administrative Court has overturned a lower court ruling that required the government to increase the risk allowance granted to Egyptian doctors, a demand physicians have been making for years.

Since 1995, medical staff in Egypt have been receiving a meagre EGP 19 to EGP 30 in monthly infectious disease allowance, according to the Doctors Syndicate.

In 2014, the doctors Syndicate filed a legal case demanding that the government raise the allowance to EGP 1,000 (approx. $55).

An administrative court ruled in the syndicate's favour in November 2015, but the verdict was not implemented and the government later appealed the decision.

On Thursday, the High Administrative Court accepted an appeal by the State Lawsuits Authority against the 2015 decision, cancelling the increase.

Following Thursday's court decision, the doctors syndicate vowed to continue pursuing all possible ways to help physicians "obtain their clear and absolute right to a fair infection allowance, commensurate with the serious health risks that doctors face during their daily work."

In May, the syndicate proposed a draft law to parliament to raise the infection allowance. The syndicate has also called on Egypt's prime minister to intervene in the matter.