How did comprehensive health insurance develop in Egypt according to the principles of health justice?

Health equity goes beyond the limits of access to hospital treatment, to become a test of the ability of public policies to protect people from disease and its economic consequences. From this standpoint, the development of health reform in Egypt emerges as an extended path that has become, over decades, a system that aims to combine quality care, equal access to it, and protection from the burdens of medical spending.

In this context, Dr. Ahmed Al-Sabki, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Health Care, participated in the “Citizen Health” session within the activities of the Egypt Forum 2026, held under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

There, Dr. Ahmed Al-Sabki reviewed the historical milestones of health reform Al-Masry, leading to the comprehensive health insurance system, and the associated transformations in financing services, developing health facilities and expanding the scope of insurance coverage.

History of health reform in Egypt

The development of the Egyptian health system is linked to successive demographic and institutional transformations, which forced the state to reconsider the capabilities of health institutions and the scope of services they provide, to reach a more comprehensive formula for health coverage.

Dr. Ahmed Al-Sabki explained that the health reform path witnessed three main stations, reflecting a gradual transition from building institutional structures to expanding health insurance, then reorganizing the system with its financing, service, and societal dimensions.

Establish a base For health care

Going back, the year 1936 witnessed – according to the data reviewed by the head of the General Authority for Health Care – the establishment of the Ministry of Public Health during the reign of King Fouad I, when the population of Egypt reached about 15 million and 624 thousand people.

This step represented an important stage in organizing government responsibility for health matters, and establishing an institutional framework that can be built upon in developing health services and expanding their scope.

Expanding the health insurance path

Then health reform moved to a new stage in 1964, with the establishment of the General Authority for Health Insurance during the era of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, coinciding with the population reaching about 31 million and 242 thousand people.

This stage reflected a trend towards developing mechanisms Health insurance and financing services provided to categories of citizens, paving the way for the transition from relying on service provision alone to also paying attention to how to finance it and make it possible to benefit from it.

Reconfiguration of the repair pathway

After that, the comprehensive health insurance system, which began its launch in 2018 during the era of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, represented the third station on this path, coinciding with the population reaching about 109 million people, according to the data presented during the session.

The system aims to transform the structure of the health system, by developing infrastructure and medical facilities, reorganizing financing and governance, and expanding the scope of insurance coverage, in a way that enhances citizens’ access to integrated health services.

The essence of insurance Comprehensive health care

To complement these paths, comprehensive health insurance has worked to reduce the financial burdens that families bear when they become ill, making it one of the basic issues associated with achieving human development and social justice.

Therefore, Dr. Ahmed Al-Sabki pointed out in his speech that direct health spending from citizens’ pockets was more than 70% of total health spending, before this percentage decreased to less than 47% during the first year of implementing the system, according to the numbers contained in the statement.

Digital transformation and cadre development

Dr. Ahmed Al-Sabki also continued to shed light on the efforts to develop management and operating systems within, and raise the efficiency of medical personnel. And administrative, and applying quality and accreditation standards, in addition to promoting digital transformation and developing the capabilities of health facilities.

According to the words of Dr. Ahmed Al-Sabki, the comprehensive health insurance system is now being implemented in seven governorates, which are:

• Port Said
• Luxor
• Ismailia
• South Sinai
• Suez
• Aswan
• Minya

This geographical expansion represents a step towards making integrated health services available to more citizens, but at the same time it poses a set of requirements related to the efficiency of implementation, the readiness of facilities, the availability of medical personnel, and the sustainability of funding, in order to achieve The Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 3: Good Health.

One of the most prominent priorities associated with the success of this expansion is :

• Ensuring the quality of service: The level of care does not decline with the increase in the number of beneficiaries and the expansion of the scope of coverage.
• Sustainability of funding: Providing the necessary resources to cover long-term therapeutic and operational needs.
• Human resources development: Supporting medical, nursing and administrative personnel with continuous training and qualification.
• Reducing geographical disparities: Enhancing the availability of specialized services, so that they do not shift Distance or lack of local capabilities can be an obstacle to treatment.
• Strengthening governance and accountability: Monitoring performance and quality of services and measuring the actual results that citizens experience.

From what was previously mentioned, The Earth Guards Foundation looks to develop comprehensive health insurance as one of the basic paths to build the human being and enhance his ability to participate in development in accordance with the principles of health justice; Because health is an element that intersects with opportunities for education, work, social stability, and quality of life.

The Foundation believes that the next stage requires strengthening the link between insurance coverage indicators and actual health outcomes, with the publication of data Clear information about the quality of services, their geographical distribution, levels of personal spending, and the extent to which the most needy groups benefit.