April 18, 2024
● In a video published by the World Bank, Al-Mashat stresses the importance of investing in human capital to lead efforts to achieve sustainable development.
● The universal health insurance system enhances the state’s ability to cover all citizens with advanced health services in cooperation with the private sector.
● More than $900 million in soft development financing from development partners to support the universal health insurance system in a way that enhances the state’s efforts in this field.
● Priorities for working with development partners are always consistent with the vision and goals of the state and projects that directly benefit citizens.
● Providing affordable health care services unleashes the potential of human capital and generates significant economic returns.
Coinciding with the spring meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, the World Bank Group platforms published a speech by H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation and Governor of Egypt at the Bank, about the importance of the universal health insurance system (UHIS), and the ongoing cooperation with the Bank to support investment efforts in human capital in Egypt, to support efforts to achieve sustainable development.
Al-Mashat said that investing in human capital is the key to leading efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals, explaining that expanding health care services and implementing a comprehensive health insurance system is an important priority for the government.
The Minister added that the UHIS is supported by development partners, including the World Bank Group, in a way that enhances the state’s ability to provide full health coverage for citizens, unify efforts for the first time with the private sector, and provide advanced, high-quality care services to all citizens.
The efforts led by the Ministry of International Cooperation, in coordination with the relevant national entities, contributed to the availability of soft development financing worth more than $900 million, to support the UHIS, with $400 million from the World Bank Group and $181.6 million from the French Development Agency, as well as $326.7 million from the Japanese side, within the framework of development cooperation relations with multilateral and bilateral development partners.
These funds strengthened the procedures and steps taken by the concerned authorities in expanding coverage within the comprehensive health insurance system in Egypt in the governorates of the first phase, which are (Aswan, Ismailia, Luxor, Port Said, South Sinai, and Suez), and strengthening governance and supporting institutional capabilities in a way that contributes to supporting the lowest-income groups. It also contributed to supporting the reforms taken by the government to achieve the fairness and efficiency of social protection programs.
The Minister stressed that the priorities of working with multilateral and bilateral development partners are always consistent with the vision and goals of the state and projects that directly benefit citizens in vital sectors, most notably investment in human capital, noting that in light of global challenges and growing risks such as climate change and other challenges. Investing in the provision of affordable health care services unlocks the potential of human capital and yields significant economic returns.
It is worth noting that cooperation efforts with development partners resulted in the provision of development grants from 2020 to 2023 worth $136 million, to implement a number of projects, including the emergency response to combat the spread of COVID-19, and support for the family planning and reproductive health program, and other projects, in addition to development funds that were made available to support the budget and implementation of the UHIS.