Egypt steps up health reform with Japan-backed universal coverage initiative

Egypt Healthcare Authority (EHA), in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), launched a new technical cooperation project (E-PaCC), as per a Cabinet statement.

The Patient-Centred Care for Universal Health Coverage initiative aimed at transforming Egypt’s healthcare delivery model.

E-PaCC runs through to 2027 and focuses on three core pillars to improve the patient experience. It aims to expand the model of patient-centred care to 20 hospitals, 10 governorates, and over 500 primary healthcare units.

The first phase of Egypt’s healthcare reform programme delivered over 70 million services to more than 5 million citizens across six governorates.

The second phase, beginning in the 2025/2026 financial year, will include five additional governorates – Matrouh, Damietta, Kafr El-Sheikh, Minya, and North Sinai – covering 534 primary care units and 30 upgraded hospitals serving 12 million people.

The project also includes a twinning partnership between Ismailia Medical Complex and Nagoya Medical Centre in Japan and will deploy tools such as real-time safety monitoring (OVR) and “Patient Journey Dialogue” to improve care quality.

The initiative builds on a longstanding partnership between Egypt and Japan in health sector reform, including previous JICA-supported programmes that introduced Japanese quality models in Egyptian public hospitals and trained over 1,200 medical professionals.

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