Last updated: 13/3/2024

Basic Information

Country
Geographic area
Institutions and agencies involved

Programme Details

Programme objectives

To accelerate progress towards universal health coverage in order to address existing health system challenges

References
Joint Learning Network. 2015. Egypt: Approaches to covering poor, vulnerable, and informal populations to achieve universal health coverage. Washington, DC: Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage. Accessed 27 July 2017. <https://goo.gl/apSt81>.
Start date
2015
References
Joint Learning Network. 2015. Egypt: Approaches to covering poor, vulnerable, and informal populations to achieve universal health coverage. Washington, DC: Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage. Accessed 27 July 2017. <https://goo.gl/apSt81>.
Coverage
Egypt’s new social health insurance scheme was planned to be rolled out over an 18-month period starting in 2015; the first phase of the roll-out was planned to focus on covering poor and very poor individuals (20–25 per cent of the population, or 23.6 million individuals) through the SPHCP. The new medical system is applied in six stages within 15 years, where the system is applied from 2018 to 2032 to cover all governorates of the Republic, starting from the least dense governorates to the highest population density, and the first phase has already been applied to Port Said, Suez, South Sinai, North Sinai, and Ismailia.
References
Joint Learning Network. 2015. Egypt: Approaches to covering poor, vulnerable, and informal populations to achieve universal health coverage. Washington, DC: Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage. Accessed 27 July 2017. <https://goo.gl/apSt81>. Al-Dostor. “Details of comprehensive health insurance 2021 in Egypt, stages of its implementation, and how to subscribe”. Accessed December 7, 2020. <https://www.dostor.org/3285648>
Programme expenditure

Targeting and eligiblity

Targeting methods
Means Test
Proxy Means Test
Geographical Targeting
References
Means test and proxy means test carried out by social welfare programmes, particularly the Social Pension Programme; geographical targeting approach to identify and reach poor populations outside the Social Pension Programme in the 1,153 poorest villages Reference: Joint Learning Network. 2015. Egypt: Approaches to covering poor, vulnerable, and informal populations to achieve universal health coverage. Washington, DC: Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage. Accessed 27 July 2017. <https://goo.gl/apSt81>.
Targeted areas
Nationwide
Target groups
Poor and very poor individuals. Aims to cover the entire population, including the informal sector.
References
Joint Learning Network. 2015. Egypt: Approaches to covering poor, vulnerable, and informal populations to achieve universal health coverage. Washington, DC: Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage. Accessed 27 July 2017. <https://goo.gl/apSt81>. World Bank Group. Egypt Public Expenditure Review for human development. Social Protection Education & Health – Volume II. The request comes as part of the IMF program under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) of 2020. Issued in September 2022.
Eligibility criteria
Eligibility is dependent on receiving social solidarity pensions, Takaful or Karama
References
ILO. 2017. “Inventory of Schemes and Preliminary Draft Matrix for Discussion on Social Protection Floor Assessment (SPF)—Draft.” Unpublished report. Geneva: International Labour Organization. Internal archives.

Coverage and other information

Type of benefits
Health care benefits; the enrolment unit is the family and includes the member, the spouse and dependents; upon receiving social health insurance coverage, beneficiaries are required to have a primary health care check-up and preventative care screening
References
Joint Learning Network. 2015. Egypt: Approaches to covering poor, vulnerable, and informal populations to achieve universal health coverage. Washington, DC: Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage. Accessed 27 July 2017. <https://goo.gl/apSt81>.
Benefit delivery mechanism
Smart card system
References
Joint Learning Network. 2015. Egypt: Approaches to covering poor, vulnerable, and informal populations to achieve universal health coverage. Washington, DC: Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage. Accessed 27 July 2017. <https://goo.gl/apSt81>.
Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and frequency
MIS: Databases on Information Systems of the Ministry of Health and Population and the Ministry of Social Solidarity
References
Al-Masri Al-Youm News. 2017. “The Treatment of the Poor Commence Using the Smart Card in Six Governorates After Eid.” Al-Masri Al-Youm News website. Accessed 2 October 2017. <http://www.almasryalyoum.com/news/details/974118>. In Arabic.