CAIRO – 8 January 2026: Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance Authority (UHIA) has announced a major expansion of its medical coverage, adding 59 new medications and 29 healthcare services to its benefits package as part of a comprehensive performance review for the year 2025.
The expansion, spearheaded by the authority’s Health Economics Unit, aims to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the system while providing high-quality, evidence-based medical care to Egyptian citizens.
Expanding the Medicine Cabinet
A key highlight of the report is the update to the UHIA Drug Formulary in October 2025. The update added 59 new generic names, bringing the total number of medications available under the system to 4,796.
Beyond just adding drugs, the Health Economics Unit—led by Dr. Ahmed Siam, Assistant Executive Director for Technical Affairs—revised several operational protocols:
* Primary Care Access: Prescription authority for certain medications was adjusted, allowing primary care physicians to prescribe drugs that were previously restricted to specialists, thereby easing the burden on hospitals.
* Biological and Cancer Treatments: Treatment protocols for biological therapies and oncology were updated to align with the latest international medical guidelines.
* Specialized Supplies: In August 2025, the authority approved the coverage of specialized supplies, including diapers for specific medical conditions, ostomy bags, and glucose meters and strips for children with Type 1 diabetes.
New Pricing and Digital Transformation
The UHIA has finalized its sixth edition of the service price list, covering 3,476 medical services. This new pricing structure went into effect on January 1, 2026.
To ensure fair and sustainable pricing, the unit utilized two methodologies:
* Cost-Plus Method (63.2% of services): Calculating 14 different cost elements for each service.
* Market Comparison (36.7% of services): Benchmarking prices against 13 major medical entities across the public, private, and military sectors, including International Medical Center, Cleopatra Hospital, and Ain Shams Specialized Hospital.
In a landmark move toward digitalization, the UHIA, in collaboration with "E-Health," launched the first integrated electronic system for calculating medical costs. This platform replaces manual calculations, reducing human error and allowing for dynamic, real-time price updates.
Investing in Human Capital
The report also emphasized the "National Narrative" of investing in people. During 2025, the authority supported its staff's professional development by:
* Enrolling six employees in professional master’s programs in Health Economics at Cairo University.
* Sending eight employees for advanced year-long training programs.
* Conducting specialized workshops on bio-economics, public policy analysis, and pricing mechanisms in partnership with the American University in Cairo.
Strategic Oversight and Policy
The Health Economics Unit performed rigorous Health Technology Assessments (HTA) on six new medications and conducted three rapid economic studies to support the Board of Directors' decision-making. These studies ensure that only medical interventions with proven clinical and economic value are added to the state-funded system.
Furthermore, a unified "HTA Framework" was developed in coordination with the Unified Procurement Authority (UPA) to prevent duplication of efforts and ensure transparency in public spending on health technology.
Be Social
Comments
Leave a Comment