The Minister of Finance for Egypt, Dr Mohamed Maait, has recently participated in a facilitated development financing agreement with the Head of the JICA office in Egypt, Kato Ken, regarding the new batch for development cooperation with Japan for comprehensive health coverage.
As per the updates, 30 billion Japanese yen facilitated development funding to support the comprehensive health insurance system. Both the representatives signed the Executive Agreement for a Development Financing Facility of about $22 billion, supporting the state’s efforts to achieve comprehensive health coverage for all members of the Egyptian family.
The agreement further serves as an example of friendly relations and economic cooperation between the two countries and enhances development efforts in Egypt. In addition, During the signing of the agreement, in the presence of the Japanese Ambassador to Cairo, Oka Hiroshi, Sheno Masao, senior representative of the JICA office in Egypt, was present.
In addition to this, Ambassador Dr Hossam Hussein, adviser to the Minister for Foreign Relations, Mai Fareed, Assistant to the Minister for Economic Justice, and the praise of the Foreign Relations Unit Hamdi. The agreement marks a new push in the path of development cooperation between the Egyptian and Japanese sides.
The agreement is also considered a step which contributes to strengthening the efforts to complete the extension of the umbrella of the National Project for Comprehensive Health Insurance every quarter of Egypt; as the main tool for reforming the health sector, providing comprehensive and integrated healthcare to all citizens, with high quality and affordable cost.
Furthermore, the health sector, in a way that enhances the operational capabilities of the General Authority for Comprehensible Health Insurance, improves the quality of medical services provided to citizens and helps us on completing the implementation of the new system within the next seven years and achieving desired targets as per the set schedule.
The minister explained that we are keen to make use of Japanese experience in various spheres, especially the health sector, in the framework of the Egyptian approach to enhance cooperation with development partners from friendly countries, in line with the unprecedented development movement in Egypt.
The framework aims to deliver the propositions of a decent life with different approaches to citizens with advanced priority For human development sectors at its core:
- Health and education.
- Implementing the strategy of building the Egyptian man.
- Signalling that the umbrella of comprehensive health insurance is set to be extended to the rest of the governorates of the first phase, “Suez, Aswan, and South Sinai,” before the end of the current financial year.
The Executive Director of the General Authority for Comprehensive Health Insurance, Assistant to the Minister for Economic Justice, Mi Fareed, said we are keen to collaborate with development partners in implementing integrated health coverage, contributing to the localization of the latest international expertise, sustaining quality of service, and providing exceptional and inclusive healthcare for all Egyptians.
JICA delegation lauded the efforts of the Egyptian government to continue expanding the comprehensive health insurance umbrella, emphasizing its keenness to provide all support for the project and transferring Japanese experience in developing the health system to Egypt to provide comprehensive health care to citizens.
