The incredible advancement in Qatar’s service systems, particularly in healthcare, according to Egyptian Minister of Health and Population Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, places it among the most sophisticated in the world. Dr. Ghaffar made exclusive remarks to the Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the margins of his participation at the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH 2022), highlighting the long history of cooperation between Egypt and Qatar in the field of health.
There are many Egyptian doctors and faculty members who have been in Qatar for decades and are still working in prestigious institutions such as Hamad Medical Corporation and Qatar University.
It is a good opportunity to be in Qatar and participate in this important summit, which deals with urgent topics related to the future of health sciences, which witnessed great progress and unprecedented reliance on technology and innovations. It also discusses important issues such as climate change, mental health, and dealing with people with disabilities. The topics on the agenda are of global concern, he added.
In the two sessions he participated in, he focused on the Egyptian experience in dealing with climate issues, especially since Egypt will host the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, and things related to the national strategy in food and nutrition that was launched recently, as well as some government measures to deal with issues of “One Health”, concerned with human, animal and plant health, as well as Egyptian experiences in dealing with nutritional problems that affected the whole world, and the importance of mental health for health care providers, he explained.
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The Egyptian minister of health said that he had meetings with the Qatar Fund for Development, Qatar Chamber, and the Qatari Businessmen Association, during which they reviewed investment opportunities in the Egyptian health sector, which has huge capabilities and distinguished health services, and the comprehensive health insurance system that Egypt seeks to implement, which are very encouraging matters for businessmen to invest in, he said.
The past period witnessed a lot of Gulf investments in Egypt, expressing his hope that Qatari businessmen would benefit from this wonderful investment climate and the promising opportunities in it, he said.
In his statements to QNA, Dr Ghaffar said that during the meetings, Qatari investors praised the very promising investment opportunities in Egypt, and he is trying to increase investment opportunities in the health sector from Qatari businessmen.
On the expansion of private universities that contribute to the graduation of large numbers of Egyptian doctors and the impact of this on the efficiency of medical cadres, the Egyptian minister of health and Population, who was minister of higher education and scientific research until recently, stressed that private universities and colleges for health sciences are a great addition to the health system in Egypt.
They are monitored by the Supreme Council of Universities and the Ministry of Higher Education to ensure the efficiency of providing services to students. Before practicing the profession, graduates must pass the exams.
Regarding the mechanisms for monitoring the services provided to Egyptian citizens in the comprehensive health insurance system, Dr Ghaffar confirmed that the health insurance system has been in place in Egypt since the 1960s, and there is a great experience in this field, and accordingly, the comprehensive health insurance initiative was launched, which began in six governorates.
The insurance system has been actively tested in three governorates and experimentally in three others. It is an integrated system that draws on foreign knowledge. A distinct organization that only oversees the monitoring, accreditation, and follow-up of health service providers is the Authority for Accreditation and Oversight.
