Luxor's universal health insurance system reaches over 90% of population

CAIRO – 1 September 2025: The Universal Health Insurance Authority announced significant progress in the implementation of Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance System in Luxor Governorate, highlighting a major transformation in healthcare services as part of the state’s strategy to achieve comprehensive health coverage and ensure fair access, especially for the most vulnerable groups.

According to the Authority’s 2024/2025 report, the system has successfully reached more than 90% of Luxor’s residents, with 1,289,697 citizens registered out of a total population of 1,449,098. In addition, over 843,000 family files have been opened, reflecting strong progress in citizen enrollment and integration into the new healthcare framework.

Mai Farid, Executive Director of the Universal Health Insurance Authority, emphasized that the primary goal is to achieve full health coverage for every citizen in Luxor, focusing on expanded registration, awareness campaigns, and enhancing service efficiency under the principle that “health is a right for all.”

The report also confirmed that the state fully covers the subscriptions of 120,418 low-income citizens, including beneficiaries of the “Takaful and Karama” program, in line with Law No. 2 of 2018. This reflects the government’s commitment to social justice and equitable healthcare access.

The Authority highlighted the impact of its unified digital system, which has streamlined services, reduced waste, improved monitoring, and enabled real-time decision-making to enhance care quality. It is also expanding specialized medical services, including rare procedures, alongside ongoing training programs for medical and technical staff in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation Authority.

Luxor’s healthcare network now includes 79 contracted facilities, comprising 54 family health units and centers, six public hospitals under the General Authority for Healthcare, and 19 private sector and NGO providers, all operating under strict quality standards.

During the 2024/2025 fiscal year, the system delivered over 5.6 million healthcare services at a cost of LE 3.19 billion. Primary care accounted for more than 4 million services worth LE 632.6 million, while secondary and tertiary care reached over 1.6 million services with costs exceeding LE 2.56 billion.

Among the advanced medical procedures provided were 35 open-heart surgeries (LE 4.52 million), 164 joint replacements (LE 15.38 million), and 37 organ transplants (LE 5.41 million). The system also covered 21 complex cardiac catheterization procedures (CTO) worth LE 3.99 million, and provided 1.18 million oncology services at a cost of LE 374 million.

In addition, the Authority issued 32,827 electronic treatment approvals via the digital platform and 52 exceptional approvals for cases requiring services beyond the standard packages. The system also processed 206,878 data updates, including 83,071 in the third quarter alone, and extended evening operations in 20% of outlets to accommodate high demand. To ease financial pressure on citizens, installment plans for insurance contributions have also been introduced.

This progress marks a milestone in Egypt’s comprehensive health insurance rollout, positioning Luxor as a model for inclusive and high-quality healthcare delivery nationwide.