Egyptian Cabinet reviews new health insurance system

The Egyptian Cabinet on Wednesday reviewed the new comprehensive health insurance system. In its meeting the Cabinet discussed providing resources of finance of the new system and the different phases of impementation. "The new system aims at covering between 90 to 100 per cent of Egyptian people while the current system only covers 52 per cent and only 10 to 15 per cent of citizens actually use it," said Health Minister Mohamed Hamed Mostafa during the meeting. In its first phase, the new system will be applied in governorates in Upper Egypt and it will be applied in all parts of the country within 7-10 years. The minister added that, under the new system, the government will completely support the poor.