Egypt Healthcare 101
Structure of the Healthcare
In Egypt, the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) is responsible for overseeing and managing primary healthcare centers, district hospitals, general hospitals, as well as integrated and specialized hospitals. Primary healthcare includes preventive and curative services in basic healthcare.
Financing Healthcare
The Universal Health Insurance (UHI) law that came into effect in 2018 has fueled transformation of the sector in recent years. The insurance package, which started in July 2019 in the governorate of Port Said, will be implemented in phases in select hospitals across governorates. It is expected to be fully implemented by 2023.
The coverage is expected to advance access to healthcare to low-income citizens and lower citizens’ healthcare expenses.
Investment Opportunities
Lucrative opportunities to invest in Egypt’s healthcare space include:
Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals
Medical Tourism
Medical Training Facilities
Start Ups & Technology
Health-tech startups that are revamping healthcare services include:
Chefaa
Vezeeta
Shezlong
D-Kimia
Doctoorum
Technologies and innovations employed by these companies include but are not limited to:
Telehealth
E-Pharmacy
Artificial Intelligence
Digital Health
Health Information Systems
Challenges
The healthcare system faces a number of challenges including:
Shortages in staff, medicine, and equipment (exacerbated while combating COVID-19)
Access to healthcare
Chronic health conditions (such as Hepatitis C) and non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
Counterfeit and substandard pharmaceutical products
Solutions
The government made efforts to reduce the number of pre-medical education from six to five years, instructed medical schools to increase their acceptance rates, while also allowing medical students to graduate early. This has helped increase the number of healthcare personnel in the country.
The Universal Healthcare Insurance model is currently being rolled out allows Egyptians to get access to affordable healthcare.
Widespread screening and treatment is free of charge in hospitals, screening vehicles, and shopping malls, which has made early disease detection possible. This has enabled the country to set up centers for prevention and cure.
In 2019, MoHP established the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) to act as a regulator to manage pharmaceutical drugs registration and pricing, improve standards, slow the sale of counterfeit drugs, and ensure medicine is available to every patient in need.