Health Minister chairs 1st Egypt’s National Council for Health Tourism meeting

Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar chaired the first meeting of Egypt’s National Council for Health Tourism, where ministers discussed plans to regulate the sector, enhance service quality, and promote Egypt as a global destination for medical and therapeutic tourism.

The meeting reviewed Cabinet Decree No. 1688 of 2025 establishing the council and discussed outcomes from the Supreme Committee for Medical Tourism, including a draft national strategy and proposals for a unified digital platform. Abdel Ghaffar stressed the need for an institutional framework, performance evaluation, and regular quarterly reporting to the Prime Minister.

The proposed platform would set criteria for admitting service providers—covering healthcare, hospitality, transport, and logistics—to ensure quality and reliability. The council also outlined plans to launch national awareness programmes, collect data on health tourism users, and adopt unified marketing policies while ensuring fair competition between the public and private sectors.

During the meeting, Civil Aviation Minister Sameh El-Hefny noted that EgyptAir Hospital became the first in Egypt to receive Temos-GAHAR accreditation for excellence in medical tourism, while the Ministry of Investment pledged full support to attract local and foreign capital into the sector.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English
Subediting: M. S. Salama