Dr Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population, has held discussions with Dr Mohamed Farid, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, on the development of the government's Comprehensive Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS) and enhancing cooperation with the private sector to expand the scope of coverage.
The UHIS is a mandatory, family-based medical insurance system funded by premiums from employers, employees, and government subsidies for the vulnerable. The system is being implemented in six stages by governorate, beginning in 2023, and is scheduled to cover the whole country by 2032. As of the end of 2025, the system has been launched in a few governorates including Port Said, Luxor, Ismailia, South Sinai, Suez, and Aswan. There are 27 governorates in Egypt.
A Health Ministry spokesman, Mr Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, told the local media that the ministers addressed ways to enhance cooperation and coordination with insurance companies in providing coverage through the UHIS.
He pointed out that there is a cooperation protocol that brings together the FRA, the Universal Health Insurance Authority and the Insurers Federation of Egypt (IFE). The meeting was also attended by Dr Ahmed Abdel Aziz, FRA Vice Chairman and Dr Ehab Abu Aish, Vice Chairman of the Universal Health Insurance Authority, in addition to a number of officials from relevant ministries and authorities.
Proposed study
The meeting also reviewed a proposal to identify the insurance networks of companies, determine the number of insured persons, estimate the gap in health coverage, and then draw up an operational model that identifies market needs, in preparation for launching a tender to select suitable partners and contract with them.
The Health Minister directed the formation of a joint working group comprising representatives of the relevant authorities to study the proposal, with the possibility of starting a pilot programme in one of the governorates before allowing private insurers to participate in the UHIS at the national level.
On his part, Dr Farid—who was FRA Chairman before he was appointed to his current ministerial post in February 2026—affirmed that his Ministry attaches great importance to strengthening the partnership with the private sector in vital sectors, especially the healthcare sector.
He added that the Ministry is working in coordination with the Ministry of Health and relevant authorities to formulate the best mechanisms that support this cooperation.