Starting 2025, Egyptian medical school graduates will be exempt from the mandatory two-year service program, known as ‘Takleef,’ at primary healthcare facilities, according to Osama Abdel Hay, head of the Egyptian Medical Syndicate. For over 50 years, Egyptian law has granted the Ministry of Health the right to mandate the assignment of medical school graduates to work in government hospitals or affiliated units. Thousands of Egyptians medical school graduates have been assigned since then. The new policy, introduced in September 2022, states that effective from 2025, placements will be determined based on need and staff shortages in hospitals and healthcare facilities. The policy applies to graduates in physical therapy, medicine, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacy, according to the General Syndicate of Physical Therapy. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Health and Population, Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar, clarified that the decision to streamline, not eliminate, the mandatory assignment system for doctors was motivated by a range of factors. Among the main reasons is enhancing job satisfaction within the profession and financial considerations, according to Abdel-Ghaffar; the government allocates roughly EGP 500 million (USD 10.2 million) each year to sustain the assignment system, which includes…
