Mohamed Maait, the Minister of Finance and Chairperson of the General Authority for Comprehensive Health Insurance, recently examined a report detailing the outcomes of a visit by the French Development Agency (AFD) delegation to the Ismailia branch of the General Authority for Comprehensive Health Insurance, the Ismailia Medical Complex, and the Family Medicine Center in Al-Shuhada. He underscored the ongoing collaboration with international development partners to bolster the Egyptian comprehensive health coverage model. The aim is to maintain the management, financing, health oversight systems, and services' sustainability for citizens. This encompasses financial, social, and health protection systems for all society segments, particularly the middle class, the underprivileged, and priority groups such as "Takaful and Karama" beneficiaries, and both formal and informal workers, aligning with presidential directives to boost the health sector investment. This initiative is key to the phased nationwide rollout of comprehensive health insurance. Maait acknowledged the global support for Egypt's health insurance reforms, underpinned by the "Comprehensive Health Insurance" system, which adheres to the highest international standards. This includes contributions from the French Development Agency (AFD), the World Bank, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which have significantly propelled the comprehensive health insurance implementation forward. He highlighted the objective to enhance the private medical sector's involvement as a principal partner in delivering services and administering the comprehensive health insurance system. This will be realized through enticing competitive opportunities that this sophisticated system offers to private medical entities alongside public ones. It's crucial to note that the state does not have a monopoly on health service delivery. Rather, the Egyptian approach is founded on citizens' and their families' right to select where they receive comprehensive and integrated healthcare and treatment, be it in public or private sectors or other certified health institutions. The ultimate goal is to elevate citizen satisfaction levels. Mai Farid, Deputy Minister of Finance and Executive Director of Comprehensive Health Insurance, mentioned that the AFD delegation's visit to the Ismailia branch was part of a planned program. The delegation also toured the Ismailia Medical Complex and the Family Medicine Center in Al-Shuhada. These site visits aimed to evaluate service quality and grasp the General Authority for Comprehensive Health Insurance's role in system management and financing. They also verified financial and social safeguards for targeted demographics, including "Takaful and Karama" recipients, the disadvantaged, and both formal and informal workers. The system currently benefits around 4.4 million individuals across six governorates, providing a catalog of over 3,000 medical services under comprehensive health insurance. This catalog includes coverage for cancer treatments, organ transplants, prosthetic devices, and more. The objective is to swiftly broaden the comprehensive health insurance coverage this year and beyond, incorporating millions more Egyptians from additional governorates. There's a firm commitment to finalizing the digital transformation to guarantee beneficiaries receive the utmost medical service satisfaction. Cécile Couprie, the Regional Director of the French Development Agency, praised the significant progress observed in Egypt's comprehensive health insurance system. This progress reflects the capacity to achieve desired goals by providing quality health services and ensuring sustainability and expansion in other governorates according to the planned timeline. The international community has confidence in Egypt's ability to implement comprehensive health insurance using an advanced approach to management and financing, as reflected in the long-term plans set by the General Authority for Comprehensive Health Insurance.
