Cairo: Egypt's healthcare accreditation authority implemented 799 technical support programmes during fiscal year 2025/2026 and assessed the readiness of 368 healthcare facilities for the second phase of the Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS). The programmes brought the total number of technical support interventions carried out by the General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation (GAHAR) since launching the service to 2,568, Chairman Ahmed Taha said.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the 799 programmes included 321 primary field and follow-up visits, 373 preliminary visits, and 105 remote technical support programmes, as stated in a release by the authority. These programmes are designed to help healthcare facilities meet accreditation requirements, improve performance, and provide safer and more efficient services. Taha emphasized that the accreditation journey starts when a healthcare facility decides to enhance its performance and cultivate a quality-driven culture.
Taha highlighted that GAHAR aims to be the primary partner for healthcare facilities by offering technical assistance and training from the initial stages of accreditation preparations. The authority's support aids medical teams in understanding and applying quality standards in their daily work, conducting self-assessments, identifying shortcomings, and transforming improvement opportunities into actionable plans.
GAHAR teams also participated in field surveys covering 368 facilities in Minya, Marsa Matrouh, Kafr El-Sheikh, North Sinai, and Sohag, which are included in the second phase of the UHIS. The surveys aim to assess the facilities' readiness and determine the technical assistance and training they require before joining the system, in line with GAHAR's internationally recognized quality standards.
Taha noted that technical support is an investment in building the capacities of healthcare workers and facilities, stressing that sustainable healthcare quality relies on preparing institutions and their staff for accreditation. He added that accreditation is the culmination of an integrated development process that starts with training and capacity-building and continues through sustained performance improvement until quality becomes an integral part of everyday healthcare practice.
Egypt's UHIS, established under Law No. 2 of 2018, is a mandatory, solidarity-based scheme intended to replace the fragmented public insurance model with comprehensive nationwide coverage. The system separates financing, healthcare provision, and quality regulation among three bodies: the Universal Health Insurance Authority, the Egyptian Healthcare Authority, and GAHAR, respectively.
The first phase of the UHIS was completed in July 2025 and covers Port Said, Ismailia, Luxor, South Sinai, Suez, and Aswan. More than six million citizens were registered during the phase, with around 5.2 million receiving services at a cost exceeding EGP 53 billion, according to government figures. UHIS facilities in the Canal Region alone have delivered 68 million medical and treatment services through 157 healthcare facilities. Of these, 131 facilities have received accreditation under GAHAR's internationally recognized standards, while nearly three million citizens have registered in the system in the region.
The government has allocated more than EGP 115 billion for the second phase, which is expected to serve over 12 million citizens through around 70 hospitals. Minya is expected to account for approximately 60 percent of the phase's beneficiaries, with EGP 3.3 billion allocated to accelerate preparations in the governorate.