A total of US$9m has been set aside for construction and renovation of hospitals in Egypt, Health Minister Ahmed Emad El Din has announced.
Din said that there are a total of 135 hospitals set to be renovated and new others to be constructed.
He added that there will be a construction of five hospitals that will be inaugurated within few days and the projects are expected to be completed in 22 months.
He said that the 135-hospital plan will be funded through the ministry’s budget for the current and next fiscal years, which totals approximately EGP 48 billion annually, with EGP 4.7 billion allocated for investments.
Egypt’s International Cooperation minister Sahar Nasr last year secured a loan of US$ 75M from the World Bank and the funds are intended in improving the ailing health sector .
Considering the fact that Egypt’s population is on the rise the the facilities will really see the m gtet good health of which is a common goal set for target by man y African countries.
However, Emad El Din did not clarify whether this loan was included in the budget for the hospital overhaul.
According to 2013 statistics from the World Health Organization, health expenditure accounts for 5.1 percent of Egypt’s gross domestic product (GDP). However, Egypt’s Minister of Finance said the government aims to increase spending on healthcare services in the 2016/2017 fiscal year.
Emad El Din’s announcement comes amid the widespread attention Egypt’s health sector has received due to its poor conditions and the recent nationwide demonstrations doctors have staged to protest against a violent police attack in a teaching hospital.
Nine policemen attacked doctors Mohamed Abdelaziz and Ahmed El Sayed for refusing to falsify a policeman’s medical report. The policemen were held on charges for violence but later were released on bail.
