More than 2.7 million surgical procedures performed under Presidential initiative of ending waiting list

CAIRO – 19 July 2025: Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population announced that a total of 2,783,916 surgical procedures have been performed under President El-Sisi's initiative to end waiting lists for critical surgeries. The initiative, launched in July 2018, aims to both eliminate existing surgical backlogs and prevent the accumulation of new cases.

Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, spokesperson for the ministry, reported that 290,226 calls were received via the initiative’s dedicated hotline from patients seeking care. From July 1, 2023, to July 8, 2025, the ministry followed up on 257,600 cases.

The initiative covers a wide range of surgeries including: Cardiac and cardiac catheterization, orthopedic procedures, ophthalmology, tumor removals, cerebral and peripheral catheterizations, neurosurgery, kidney and liver transplants, and cochlear implants.

These services are offered completely free of charge, in line with President El-Sisi’s directive to provide timely, high-quality care to those in need—especially underprivileged patients.

Dr. Ahmed Mustafa, Head of the Health Insurance Authority and Advisor to the Minister for the initiative, emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to enhancing hospital performance. This includes continuous training of medical staff and upgrading hospitals with modern surgical equipment.

He also highlighted the development of an integrated automated system, which links all entities involved in issuing treatment decisions—whether funded by the state or health insurance—with real-time data based on hospital capacity. This system allows efficient case transfers between service providers.

The Ministry of Health and Population encourages patients in need of covered surgeries to register through the initiative’s official platform: http://wlms.smcegy.com. Inquiries can also be made via hotlines 105 and 15300.