Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli said the State seeks in the coming period to promote medical tourism, especially in light of the ongoing efforts to develop health facilities nationwide, along with the application of the Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS) in a number of governorates.

Madbouli’s remarks came during a meeting that he held on Sunday to discuss ways of revitalizing the sector of medical tourism in Egypt.

The meeting was attended by Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar and Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Abbas, as well as other officials.

The premier underlined the importance of luring a number of nationalities to receive medical and health services in Egypt, by offering attractive tourist programs and providing further facilitation with regard to granting entry visas for health purposes.

He added the government targets drawing up an overall plan for medical tourism, directing the Health Minister to hire a full-time official to follow up this sector.

On his part, the health minister said stimulating medical tourism requires setting competitive prices for health services and carrying out marketing campaigns via multiple channels to promote Egypt as a unique destination for health tourism.

He added the proposed plan for reviving medical tourism includes a proposal to establish an independent body for medical tourism, name the hospitals participating in the medical tourism program and qualify health workers to be able to deal with different nationalities.

The suggested plan also comprises establishing a database through which foreigners seeking treatment in Egypt can know the names of hospitals involved in the medical tourism program, in addition to periodically organizing marketing conferences, the health minister added.

Source: State Information Service Egypt