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Egypt Expat Health Insurance / Healthcare System information/Insurance News |
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After gaining its independence from England in 1953, the Egyptian government started to implement new policies in order to improve the Healthcare system. The main goal was to create a modern healthcare system that was accessible and affordable for all its citizens. Per capita public spending for healthcare was increased through the creation of new tax schemes, such as raising funds from employers and public pensioners. By establishing compulsory treatments such as immunization and vaccination programs in order to raise the life expectancy and to lower the mortality rate. Attention was focused on creating an evenly distributed healthcare system throughout the country where there were serious disparities in the mortality rates of cities and villages as well as in Upper and Lower Egypt.
The Egyptian healthcare system is generally divided into hospitals that are financed and provided by the public sector (government) and hospitals/clinics that are financed and provided by the private sector. Healthcare providers in the public sector include: the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP/MOH) which runs a large part of Egypt's healthcare services, providing large urban and rural based hospitals with in-and-out patient care, university run hospitals, and the Ministries Of Interior and Defense which provides military healthcare. There is also the Health Insurance Organization (HIO) and Curative Care Organization (CCO), which are the second major public providers of healthcare, they are a form of compulsory social insurance collected from the payroll of employees and employers. Private sources of healthcare services include: private insurance companies, unions and nonprofit / non-government organizations (NGOs), which are the fastest growing sector in the country. On top of all this, the World Bank, USAID, and the European Commission have contributed over USD$ 2 billion dollars worth of assistance into the Egyptian healthcare system.
As a result of modernization efforts over the years, Egypt's healthcare system has made great strides forward. Access to healthcare in both urban and rural areas greatly improved and immunization programs are now able to cover 98% of the population. Life expectancy increased from 44.8 years during the 1960's to 72.12 years in 2009. There was a noticeable decline of the infant mortality rate (during the 1970's to the 1980's the infant mortality rate was 101-132/1000 live births, in 2000 the rate was 50-60/1000, and in 2008 it was 28-30/1000).
Even though Egypt's healthcare system has been making progress, in some areas it has been ineffectively run and in many cases neglected. Despite so much international monetary assistance, on top of government programs and organizations implemented to improve the system, Egypt's quality of healthcare would generally be considered poor. The sources of financing for the healthcare system has become fairly unbalanced, where 35% is paid by the government (public), 6% from social insurance (public), 8% from private insurance, and 51% of the healthcares costs are covered by the households (out of pocket). Fifty one percent coming out of the pockets is very unfair considering that 44% of the population is living on less than USD$2 dollars a day, the average per capita is USD $5400, which ranks Egypt at 135th in the world (between Guatemala and Niue), and the percentage of Egypt's gross domestic product (GDP) spent on its healthcare is below the international average.
Although public hospitals and clinics are distributed relatively evenly throughout the country, their services are generally inadequate because of the shortage of doctors and nurses (20 doctors per 10,000 people while Cuba has 55 doctors per 10,000 people) and the general lack of modern equipment. In rural and urban areas patients using the government facilities can expect a lengthy journey and a long wait to see a physician. Dissatisfaction with public hospitals and clinics has forced some low-income patients to attempt to seek treatment at expensive private clinics at even greater personal expense.
The publicly run hospitals work to serve the needs of around 90% of the population, but where they try to provide for quantity, the quality often suffers. The main cause is the lack of funds going into the healthcare system. This has led to drastic budget restraints causing widespread personnel problems. Highly-trained and qualified staff have left for better paying positions in the private sector and the staff that has stayed, are poorly-trained, resulting in facilities that are often under-staffed. Budget restraints also mean basic maintenance and hygiene levels are usually not kept to the standard of modern hospitals in the developed world. Patients often sleep on worn out cots in unventilated rooms, increasing the possibility of contracting an infection in the hospital. The lack of funds have left the some government run hospitals operating outdated medical equipment and unable to provide some basic medicine and supplies. These factors have resulted in public hospitals and facilities becoming overcrowded and generally debilitated, with staff that are over-worked.
Privately run hospitals on the other hand tend to be concentrated in the cities, very expensive, and cater to the middle and higher income earners who can afford the prices. Many of the doctors working in the private sector are western trained and speak English. Most well trained doctors and nurses prefer working in the private hospital and clinics, rather than being employed in the publicly funded facilities. As a result, fewer than 30% of all doctors and barely 10% of the nurses in the country service rural areas or villages.
The Egyptian healthcare system still faces some basic hygiene and sanitation issues. Over 30% of the total population does not have access to safe water for drinking and food preparation. About 17,000 children die each year because of diarrhea due to the bad water quality. Public sanitation plants have been unable to keep up with the growing population, only one third of the homes are connected to the sewage system and only 50% of the homes have any plumbing to speak of. Educating the population about the dangers of using stagnant water, which provides an ideal environment for parasites, can control the spread of diseases such as; Tuberculosis, Schistosomiasis, Malaria, and Trachoma.
Egypt is struggling to provide adequate healthcare; but it can still offer acceptable, if expensive, treatment in private hospitals that are located in the major cities. Rural medical facilities will usually be substandard and in most cases will only be able to provide immediate and temporary emergency treatment. Before visiting Egypt, you may need to get the following vaccinations for illnesses and diseases and other diseases you might be at risk of contracting at your destination: Hepatitis A/B, Influenza, Meningococcal disease, Meningitis, Polio, Rabies, Typhoid, and Yellow Fever. Please also check with your doctor to make sure you are up to date on your routine immunizations as well.
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Egypt Expat Health Insurance |
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Globalsurance works with a number of the world's best insurance companies. We are able to give you an extensive range of options for your international medical insurance plan that can provide you with the coverage and peace of mind in Egypt. To speak to an advisor about the Egypt expat health insurance policies that we can offer, or to receive a free quote, contact us today.
Globalsurance is a one-stop insurance brokerage service provider for you when travelling to Egypt. We offer a wide range of policies to meet your individual needs, including benefits such as dental, maternity, inpatient, outpatient, specialist consultations and many others. Contact our professional advisers today to enjoy full insurance protection such as for yourself and your family. |
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