The Ministry of Health and Population has announced that the General Healthcare Authority (GAH) has signed an agreement with AXA Egypt as one of the largest global health insurance companies to provide health care services across the GAH’s hospitals. A decision was made to extend these services to insured Egyptians and foreigners in the private sector across several of Egypt’s governorates, headed by Port Said and Luxor, which guarantees access to international standards for the first time in Egypt.

The agreement was signed following a meeting with H.E. Hala Zayed, Minister of Health and Population, with a delegation from the GAH, headed by its Chairman Ahmed Al Sobky, and a delegation from AXA Egypt, headed by Hassan El-Shabrawishi, AXA Africa Holding CEO and AXA Egypt Chairman. During the meeting, opportunities for cooperation were discussed between the two parties to provide integrated health care services to the beneficiaries and clients of the company in accordance with international quality standards and requirements.

In a statement today, Zayed underlined the concentrated efforts of both private and public medical authorities to provide the best health services for beneficiaries in line with Egypt's strategic goals and Egypt Vision 2030.

The Minister of Health and Population praised this constructive cooperation between the public and private sectors, as they are two sides of the same coin, and are necessary for the state’s ability to move forward with the wheel of development in all fields.

The Minister explained that the Egyptian state’s strategy aims to enhance community health by providing universal, innovative health services that are fair and compatible with international standards, where the patient is the focus of the government’s attention and care. She said: "We trust in the efficiency of the new healthcare system and its facilities’ capacity in the form of health centers, units and hospitals affiliated with the GAH, which seeks to be the cornerstone of global competitiveness indicators in terms of medical services".

For his part, Khaled Megahed, advisor to the Minister of Health and Population for Media Affairs and the official spokesman for the Health Ministry, said that the agreement represents a major shift in medical service quality levels. He added that the services that AXA will provide are in line with international standards. He continued: "We aim to support and develop medical services with the highest quality standards, in accordance with the state's directives".

Megahed supervised the signing ceremony for the agreement, which was held at the headquarters of the GAH in Cairo. The GAH was represented by its CEO, Amir Al-Talwani, while AXA Egypt was represented by Sameh Anas, the company's Managing Director.

In the same context, Ahmed ElSobky, GAH Chairman, notes that GAH hospitals comply with internationally approved standards and controls to provide the most advanced diagnostic and treatment services to citizens.

El-Sobky added that the cooperation reflects the deep confidence in the medical services provided by GAH hospitals, and the integrated health services packages that are provided through them. This cooperation also demonstrates confidence in the medical teams that the authority seeks to include, allowing the GAH to be competitive in this field and helping transform it into an essential tool towards better healthcare for all Egyptians.

El-Sobky pointed out that the state has built the GAH’s hospitals according to the latest models, and equipped them with the most advanced medical and non-medical devices and technology to ensure the provision of the best health services to patients across its units and hospitals. He affirmed the healthcare authority’s keenness and commitment to continuously develop services in line with the Egyptian state’s efforts, led and supported by the political leadership in a quest to achieve universal health coverage for all Egyptians without discrimination.

GAH Chairman expressed his happiness to cooperate with AXA as one of the pioneers in the field of private insurance in Egypt. He noted that this agreement provides the best services and health care to patients insured by AXA Egypt, whether Egyptians or foreigners. El-Sobky explained that the GAH policy focuses on strengthening cooperation with all authorities concerned with government and private medical insurance, with the aim of increasing the operating rates of GAH-affiliated health facilities and maximizing the return on state investments in the government health sector, as well as the continuous development and upgrading of the authority’s services provided to all Egyptians.

The General Authority of Healthcare (GAH) Vice Chairman Hani Rashed said that as per the agreement, GAH hospitals nationwide will offer their services to those insured. Moreover, under the agreement, AXA will cover treatment costs of insured Egyptians and foreigners who are not covered by the new universal health insurance at the prices set by the GAH for all medical services including in-patient departments, out-patient clinics, and emergency services.

Amir Al-Talwani, GAH Executive Director stated that this cooperation reflects the quality and distinction in the level of medical and therapeutic services within his organization and stressed that "this quality is what made our hospitals a destination for all citizens as well as foreigners from more than six Arab and African countries, not only in Port Said and Luxor, but soon-to-be-available across other governorates according to the timetable for the implementation of the universal health insurance system".

For his part, Ayman Kandeel, AXA Life Insurance Egypt Managing Director and AXA Egypt Vice Chairman, stated that the cooperation is fully consistent with AXA's strategic plans in Egypt, which is to provide the best insurance and health care services for all of AXA’s medical insurance customers. He also expressed his pride that AXA is the first global private health insurance company that has the honor of cooperating with the GAH, which will be the country's main conduit for the provision of universal health insurance services. He pointed out that AXA has a group of insurance companies with multiple business lines that provide insurance protection services, including health insurance. AXA has strengthened its presence in Egypt since its inception in 2015 by being a multi-line insurance company, with a focus on services and health care. The company seeks to achieve its strategy by providing all innovative insurance plans and pioneering services to its medical insurance customers.

AXA Services Managing Director, Sameh Anas, expressed the company’s pride in the cooperation with the General Authority of Healthcare (GAH) to realize the shared goal of enhancing the quality of healthcare services offered to the Egyptians as per the international quality standards. He also added that adding the GAH hospitals to AXA Egypt’s medical insurance network will help offer top-notch services to AXA’s 400,000 health customers.

It is worth noting that AXA is a global company that serves more than 108 million customers in 57 countries around the world. AXA began operating in the same year it was founded in 2015 after obtaining a license to practice insurance activities. The company currently provides innovative insurance solutions to more than 2 million customers. AXA has distinguished itself by providing medical services since entering the Egyptian market. The number AXA Egypt medical insurance customers currently stand nearly 400,000 clients.