Photo courtesy of Egypt's cabinet
The procedures included a laparoscopic colon cancer resection, a complex thyroid operation involving lymph node removal and nerve preservation, and the facility's first hybrid operation combining laparoscopic examination with endoscopy for a suspected stomach tumour, the authority said in a statement.
The surgeries mark a new step in expanding specialized healthcare services in South Sinai under Egypt's Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS), allowing residents to access advanced treatment within the governorate without travelling elsewhere.
In the first case, surgeons removed part of the colon and associated lymph nodes from a 69-year-old woman diagnosed with a malignant tumour in the ascending colon. The patient, who also suffered from hypertension, diabetes, and heart muscle weakness, underwent the operation successfully and is in stable condition, the authority said.
The second procedure involved the removal of recurrent thyroid tissue, nerve dissection, and central lymph node excision for a patient with recurrent thyroid enlargement and suspected malignancy. The operation was completed successfully while preserving critical nerves, according to the statement.
In the third case, doctors performed the complex's first hybrid surgery by combining laparoscopic exploration with a gastroscopy to assess a patient suspected of having a malignant stomach tumour, reflecting growing integration between surgical and diagnostic specialities at the facility.
The authority noted that the operations demonstrate progress in localizing specialized and highly complex medical services in South Sinai, enabling patients to receive advanced care close to home through the UHIS, with patient contributions not exceeding EGP 482.
Egypt has been gradually expanding the Universal Health Insurance System, which was first launched in Port Said in 2019 and has since been rolled out to additional governorates, including South Sinai.
The programme aims to provide comprehensive healthcare coverage while improving access to specialized and advanced medical services and reducing the need for patients to seek treatment outside their home governorates, including Cairo and other major urban centres.
The EHA said the achievement aligns with the state's strategy to build a modern and sustainable healthcare system capable of providing high-quality medical care in accordance with international standards.
The operations come as Egypt continues to expand specialized healthcare services under its UHIS, one of the country's flagship healthcare reform programmes.
In recent months, the authority has reported a series of first-of-their-kind operations under the UHIS, including advanced pediatric orthopaedic surgeries at Daraw Central Hospital in Aswan and the expansion of specialized cardiac, oncology, and minimally invasive surgical services across several governorates.
South Sinai is among the six governorates included in the first phase of the system, alongside Port Said, Ismailia, Luxor, Suez, and Aswan. The governorate has witnessed substantial healthcare investments since joining the UHIS.
Its medical network now includes the Fayrouz Medical Complex in Tor Sinai, Ras Sedr Central Hospital, Sharm El-Sheikh International Hospital, Taba Hospital, Nuweiba Hospital, and Abu Rudeis Hospital, among other facilities connected through an integrated referral system.
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