Egypt’s cabinet approved last week a new comprehensive health insurance bill, for the first time in Egypt’s history, minister of health and population Ahmed Emad al-Din announced. The bill was referred to the State Council for review and will be forwarded to the parliament for final approval. The new health care program will be affordable, according to press statements made by Emad al-Din on Wednesday. He said the new program will cost about EGP 140 billion ( $8 billion) to be launched and will be implemented gradually between 2018 to 2032. Subscription to the new health insurance will be mandatory. It will cost between EGP 1,300 and EGP 4,000 per year, depending on the income. However, citizens who cannot afford the fees will be exempted from paying any subscription fees. Currently, Egypt has an insurance system that covers only about 60 percent of Egyptian citizens. It costs EGP 112. However, it is rather known for its bad quality and only 6 percent of citizens used its services, according to the Huffington Post. Emad al-Din said in his press statements that Egypt has been working for over two years to prepare the infrastructure of the…
