The Egyptian health care system faces many challenges in improving and secure the health and well being of the Egyptian population. The system faces not only thwarting illnesses associated with poverty and lack of education, but it also must respond to diseases and illnesses associated with the modern and urban lifestyles of its people. The increased access to global communication and trade is raising the expectations of the population for more technological advanced care for this up and coming state. Egypt is located on the northeastern part of the African continent with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwestern Asia.
Due to this Egypt is a major power in Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean Region and the Islamic world. Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, Libya to the west and the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast. Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The beliefs Egyptians hold about illness and treatment affects what type of treatment they will seek. The choice between traditional and Western healing is dependent on these beliefs. These beliefs could be traced back 3,500 years to when the Egyptians lived on the Nile River.
Even today nearly 99% of the population lives in the Nile River Valley and the Nile Delta. Islam is the major religion in Egypt and also has been a key influence in cultural, and medical beliefs. High birth rates combined with a longer life expectancy is increasing the population and the pressure on the Egyptian health system. Egypt has a complex health system, with many different public and private providers and financing agents. Health services in Egypt are currently managed, financed, and provided by agencies in all three sectors of the economy. The government, public, and private sectors.
The government sector of Egypt’s healthcare system encompasses the Ministry of Health (MOH), university hospitals and military hospitals. The MOH is Egypt’s largest financier and provider of healthcare for the Egyptian public. It has the largest network of primary services in Egypt and runs rural hospitals, district hospitals, general hospitals and specialized hospitals. The services provided by the MOH are available almost free of cost to all citizens. Government providers in Egypt are permitted to generate their own income through a few means. These include charging user fees in special units or departments known as economic departments.
Income from these sources is classified as self-funding. The providers in the public sector of Egyptian health care are organizations that are financed and monitored by a governmental body but they act independently in their management and have some other sources of financing. The two main organizations in this category are the Health Insurance Organization (HIO) and the Curative Care Organization (CCO). The HIO is a social insurance agency that provides health insurance to employees, students and widows through premiums from employees and employers.
The HIO also provides healthcare through its own network of hospitals and clinics as well as contracting with some providers in the private sector. The Curative Care Organization(CCO) is a nonprofit system established in 1964 under the authority of the Minister of Health and Population. CCOs in Egypt operate 11 hospitals, which account for about 1. 5 percent of total hospital beds in Egypt. Each CCO is run independently and as a nonprofit, with extra revenue being invested into service improvement. The 11 hospitals operated under CCO are high quality institutions, providing a large range of quality care services and programs.
The services provided by the public sector are strictly curative, but include both inpatient and outpatient services. The private sector of Egypt’s health care system includes some non-profit and for-profit providers. Services include everything from traditional healers to midwives, private pharmacies, private doctors, and private hospitals of all sizes. Also in the private sector are a large number of NGOs providing services. These services including religiously affiliated clinics and other organizations, all of which are registered with the Ministry of Social Affairs.