Where does Egypt Stand in terms of “Deliver Strategy”, from WHO’ Progression Pathway for Private Sector Engagement in Health

Egypt has made reference in many policy documents that provide for some sort of directions for private sector participation in healthcare.

Documents such as the health articles of the constitution, the recommendations of the national dialogue, the government ownership policy document, the government health plan 2024-2-26 emphasizes that the government maintains a strong emphasis on public health infrastructure while encouraging private sector participation in service delivery, pharmaceutical production, and facility management. Key strategies include promoting competition within the Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS), enhancing service quality across both public and private sectors, and implementing PPPs to increase accessibility and efficiency.

The 2019 Universal Health Insurance Law delineates a clear path for private providers participation, with the objective of enhancing healthcare accessibility and quality, while the 2024 Public Private Partnership Concession Law provides guidelines for private sector investment and operation in healthcare facilities.

However, the extent of private sector engagement varies across different policy areas, and there's a need for a more unified approach to fully leverage the potential of public-private collaborations in achieving universal health coverage or more focused approach to focus on universal health insurance coverage. In essence, Egypt is striving to create a healthcare system where the public and private sectors complement each other, ultimately benefiting the population.

Assessing and Rating the Progression of Private Sector Engagement - Deliver Strategy

In my opinion, in reference to the “Deliver Strategy” governance behavior, the first in WHO’s progression pathway for private sector engagement, Egypt could be rated Nascent.

The progress assessment of Egypt's health strategy using guiding questions reveals that the 2023-2023 MoHP Strategic Directions Report outlines the government's strategic health goals but falls short in clearly articulating strategic objectives for the private health sector that align with established health system goals of ensuring equitable access to healthcare without financial hardship within a Universal Health Insurance System or even broader within universal health coverage, compared to heavy emphasis on the public sector. The documents do not specify policy mechanisms to achieve these objectives or explain how they will influence the private health sector's operations and performance. Additionally, there are no identified arrangements for implementing these goals, such as resource allocation, tracking changes, or evaluating impacts, highlighting significant gaps in the strategy's comprehensive execution and monitoring.

For Egypt to move from Nascent to Developing grade, Egypt needs to develop up-to-date policy statements articulating the role of the private health sector within the context of universal health coverage broadly and in relation to the universal health insurance system in particular.

The Way Forward

·?????? Prioritize and Define a Program Boundary for Private Sector Engagement that Focuses on the Universal Health Insurance System. Clearly define the program boundary of the scope of private sector engagement in the next five years to fall within the boundary of the UHI system as part of achieving universal health coverage, while ruling out the engagement of the private sector in other areas.

·?????? Articulate Strategic Roles for Private Sector Engagement. Clearly define the strategic roles of the private sector in UHI system objectives, distinguishing between for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.

·?????? Develop Policy Mechanisms. Specify the policy mechanisms needed to influence the private sector's operations and performance.

·?????? Allocate Resources and Track Performance. Establish specific arrangements for resource allocation, performance tracking, and evaluation of policy impacts.

By addressing these gaps and progressing through the outlined stages, Egypt can create a healthcare system where the public and private sectors effectively complement each other, ensuring high-quality, accessible healthcare for all its citizens.