Egyptian banks raise healthcare share of CSR spending above 50%

CAIRO – 5 July 2026: The Central Bank of Egypt has called on banks to expand their role in supporting national healthcare programmes, as part of efforts to improve access to medical services and advance the country’s Sustainable Development Strategy 2030.

Healthcare accounted for more than half of Egyptian banks’ corporate social responsibility spending during the first quarter of 2026, up from 42 percent in 2025, according to a statement issued by the Central Bank on Sunday.

Bank-funded initiatives have contributed to projects led by the Ministry of Health and Population, upgrades at university hospitals, and the establishment and equipping of specialised medical facilities serving patients with heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and severe burns.

Among the initiatives supported is the presidential programme for children with Type 1 diabetes, “Our Diabetes Heroes,” which provides needle-free devices for monitoring glucose levels and insulin use to children from low-income families.

A number of banks are financing the first phase of the programme until the end of 2026, while a second phase will expand the provision of monitoring devices to more children.

The banking sector has also backed the presidential programme aimed at reducing waiting lists for critical surgeries. Through cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Population’s Medical Emergency Fund, the first phase has focused on high-priority procedures, including heart surgery, joint replacement operations and corneal transplants.

The Central Bank and the fund have signed an agreement to widen the programme’s reach over three years from 2026, with continued focus on urgent medical services.

Additional support has gone towards operating intensive care units at public hospitals, equipping Al-Mabra Hospital in Old Cairo, and developing the Fayoum Oncology Centre.

Banks have also helped upgrade university medical facilities, including the National Cancer Institute at Cairo University and Ain Shams University Medical City, as well as supporting the establishment of a specialised liver transplant centre at Mansoura University, described as the first of its kind in the Middle East and Africa.