In numbers…the successes of the primary health care system in Suez

Health care has become a major framework ofsustainable development frameworks, which seeks to achieve a balance between social justice, economic growth, and environmental protection, ensuring that the needs of the present are met without compromising the rights of future generations.

At the heart of this framework, primary health care stands out as the first line of defense in enhancing the health of communities, preventing diseases, and reducing the burden on health systems. Because the more efficient and widespread primary health care services are, this will be directly reflected in the quality of life of citizens and the strengthening of their social stability.

In this context,The Earth Guards Foundationin the following lines discusses the most prominent Egyptian health care news, which is an applied model that reflects the integration of health and development dimensions, as the Foundation seeks to read the efforts made in the primary health care sector from a broader sustainable perspective; So keep reading.

Primary health care at the forefront

Health care – specifically primary health care – is witnessing a remarkable development in the Suez Governorate, as the General Authority for Health Care announced the provision of more than two million services within the primary health care system, through 26 family medicine units and centers in just 16 months since the start of implementing the comprehensive health insurance system.

With regard to this achievement, Dr. Ahmed Al-Sabki, Chairman of the General Authority for Health Care, confirmed that family medicine units and centers represent the primary gateway through which health care services can be obtained. Because family medicine units and centers allow citizens to access an integrated package of medical services, in accordance with the latest international standards and treatment protocols, thus enhancing the quality and sustainability of health care.

Then Dr. Ahmed Al-Sabki, “President of the General Authority for Health Care,” explained that primary health care facilities now cover more than 70% of citizens’ health needs, with an ambitious plan to raise this percentage to more than 80%, which reflects the trend towards enhancing the efficiency of the health system and achieving the highest levels of service.

Multiple specialties

In this context, the health care services provided diversified to include multiple specialties, with the number of family medicine services reaching more than 1.3 million, in addition to hundreds of thousands of dental and family planning services, as well as emergency services, laboratory tests, radiology, and internal and women’s specialties, all within the framework of an integrated primary health care system.

In this context, the head of the General Authority for Health Care stated that this diversity is embodied in accurate numbers; Family medicine services amounted to 1,305,359 services, dental services 236,749 services, emergency services 64,950 services, and family planning services 238,515 services, in addition to 258,653 laboratory services, 3,269 radiology services, 13,382 internal medicine services, and 3,548 women’s services.

Dr. Ahmed Al-Sabki, “President of the General Authority for Health Care,” went on to confirm that the number of those registered in the comprehensive health insurance system in the Suez Governorate has exceeded half a million citizens! This reflects the growing confidence in the health care services provided by the Egyptian health system, and also confirms the state’s success in expanding comprehensive health coverage and achieving health justice for all citizens.

In essence, these numbers reveal a qualitative transformation that goes beyond the limits of improving medical service to reformulating the philosophy of the health system itself, as primary health care has become a strategic focus for public health management and human building. Because when a health system succeeds in covering the largest proportion of citizens’ needs, it relieves pressure on hospitals, redistributes resources efficiently, and establishes sustainable health equity.

From the perspective ofThe Earth Guards Foundation, what was achieved in the Suez Governorate represents a generalizable model, but at the same time it raises deeper questions: How can the quality of this expansion be maintained while demand increases? How can the preventive and educational dimension be more deeply integrated into these services? The next challenge lies in the sustainability of these services, and turning them into a long-term impact on individuals’ behavior and lifestyles.

The real bet here is to build a sustainable system capable of building a healthy, conscious society that realizes that prevention is an investment, and primary health care is a fulcrum for integrated sustainable development. Therefore, the continuation and development of this path are essential steps towards a future in which the strength of states is measured by their ability to protect the health of their citizens.