President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi directed on Sunday to ensure financial flow sustainability for the Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS) — one of the Egyptian projects that have been in progress since 2018.

El-Sisi said, during a meeting with top officials earlier today, that the project aims mainly to provide top-notch medical services for all Egyptians, especially the neediest categories, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Health Minister Hala Zayed, and Finance Minister Mohamed Maait, among others, Rady added.

The six-phase healthcare scheme, already rolled out in some governorates, is scheduled to fully cover Egypt by 2027 rather than 2032 based on a condensed 10-year deadline announced recently.

Governorates with the lowest-income citizens have been given priority in the programme’s schedule, with the capital — Cairo — relegated to the final phase.

El-Sisi was briefed on the executive situation of the UHIS and the performance indicators in the first-phase governorates, especially in terms of the number of medical units, centres, and hospitals designated for the programme, as well as the number of citizens registered in the system until now.

Egypt has been scaling up efforts to develop the healthcare infrastructure, including upgrading clinics and hospitals, as well as constructing new health units nationwide.

The meeting also touched upon the efforts of automating the UHIS' services, which is part of a broader national plan targeting the digitisation of all government services countrywide.

The first phase includes Port Said, Ismailiya, Suez, South Sinai, Luxor, and Aswan. The programme started experimentally and officially in Port Said, Ismailiya, South Sinai, and Luxor. Aswan and Suez are scheduled to be covered by this year.

The second phase of the scheme will include Luxor, Matrouh, the Red Sea, and Qena.

The third phase will cover Alexandria, Beheira, Damietta, Sohag, and Kafr El-Sheikh.

The fourth will cover Beni Sueif, Assiut, Minya, the New Valley, and Fayoum.

The fifth phase covers Daqahliya, Sharqiya, Gharbiya, and Menoufiya.

The last phase will cover Cairo, Giza, and Qalioubiya.

The total cost of the new scheme is expected to hit EGP 210 billion ($13.38 billion) annually once the entire population, estimated in excess of 100 million citizens, registers in the new system.