Egypt, Japan review progress on patient-centred healthcare initiative

Egypt’s Healthcare Authority (EHA) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) held talks to assess progress on a joint initiative aimed at enhancing patient-centred care under Egypt’s universal health insurance system, the health body said on Thursdsay.

EHA Chairman Ahmed El Sobky met with JICA representatives and Japanese experts working on the technical cooperation project, which is part of broader collaboration between Cairo and Tokyo to improve healthcare quality and expand universal coverage.

Discussions focused on implementation mechanisms and outcomes from recent field visits to health facilities in governorates covered by the insurance scheme.

El Sobky described the initiative as a key step toward achieving world-class healthcare, noting that it will cover 22 facilities across public, private, and university sectors, as well as centres under Egypt’s Hayah Karima (Decent Life) development programme.

A twinning partnership between the Ismailia Medical Complex—already nationally and internationally accredited—and a major Japanese hospital is central to the project, designed to facilitate knowledge transfer in patient-focused treatment models.

The three-year programme, set to run until 2027, includes training medical staff, developing clinical protocols, and launching digital learning tools. As part of the plan, 20 EHA trainees will travel to Japan in April 2026 for technical training.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English

Subediting: Y.Yasser