Egypt is preparing to launch Africa’s first virtual hospital in Ismailia as Ahmed El-Sobky, chairman of the General Authority for Healthcare, inspected the facility on Wednesday, 15 July, to review its readiness ahead of its opening.
The virtual hospital will connect hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide through a digital network, allowing specialist physicians to provide remote consultations, review diagnostic tests and medical imaging, and support treatment decisions without requiring patients to travel.
The hospital will also offer remote intensive care, AI-assisted medical triage, virtual specialty clinics, and a digital platform for monitoring patients with chronic diseases through remote tracking of vital signs. It will also support multidisciplinary case discussions, telemedicine consultations for critically ill patients, and training for healthcare professionals using digital technologies.
According to the General Authority for Healthcare, the facility includes nine virtual outpatient clinics, four remote intensive care units, 12 radiology units, and 27 digitally connected cardiology units, providing nationwide support for remote diagnosis and treatment.
The initiative is also expected to help address shortages of highly specialised doctors and reduce the costs associated with deploying consultants to remote regions.
Egypt has been reforming its healthcare system in recent years. The most notable example is Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance (UHI) Law No. 2 of 2018, which represents the country’s most significant healthcare reform in decades. The programme aims to replace a fragmented insurance system that previously covered fewer than 60 percent of the population with a mandatory national scheme financed through payroll contributions, government subsidies, and tobacco taxes.
First launched in Port Said in 2019, the scheme has since expanded to six governorates, including Port Said, Ismailia, Luxor, Suez, South Sinai, and Aswan. As of early 2025, the first phase covered around 5.1 million people, supported by investments of EGP 28.5 billion ($560 million) to upgrade healthcare facilities and expand the medical workforce.
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