Public, insured or private? A patient’s map of healthcare in Egypt

Egypt has three routes to care: public hospitals and health units; insurance, either the long-standing Health Insurance Organization (HIO) or the newer Universal Health Insurance, which is arriving governorate by governorate; and private care that you pay for yourself or through a policy. Your insurance status and your governorate decide which routes are open to you.

Every patient journey starts with a question, as we wrote in every patient journey starts with a question. In Egypt it often comes one step earlier: not which doctor, but which door. This guide sets the routes side by side and points to the official page for each one that has one. Use it before you book, not instead of those pages.

In short:

• Your insurance category and your governorate narrow the choice before your preference does.
• Universal Health Insurance is compulsory by law for citizens living in Egypt, but it applies only in governorates where it has started. The older HIO scheme covers set categories of people.
• The rollout is still moving. Each row that has an official source says when it was last checked; confirm on the official page before you plan around it.

How does healthcare work in Egypt? The three routes side by side

Public hospitals and units are open to the public. HIO covers set categories of workers, pensioners and pupils. Universal Health Insurance covers citizens in the governorates where it has started. Private care is open to whoever pays, or whose insurer or employer pays. Insurance comes in two schemes, which is why the table has four rows.

Route	Who can use it	What you pay	What to bring	How to start	Last checked
Public hospitals and health units	Open to the public. Article 18 of the Constitution says every citizen is entitled to health care and that the state maintains and supports public health facilities that provide services to the people.	Ask at the cashier or reception what is charged. This guide found no official fee list.	National ID; earlier reports, tests and prescriptions.	The hospital’s outpatient clinic. In an emergency, the emergency department.	23 Oct 2026 (Constitution text)
Health Insurance Organization (HIO), the older scheme	Categories set by law and decree, as HIO’s history page lists them: government and public-body employees, employees under the social insurance law, pensioners and widows, pupils up to secondary school, children from birth to school age.	Contributions taken from wage or pension, plus some payments when you receive a service.	Your insurance card and national ID.	General practitioner first, then specialist, then hospital, through a referral system. Emergencies and accidents go straight to hospitals.	23 Oct 2026 (HIO website)
Universal Health Insurance (UHI)	Citizens living in a governorate where it has started. Compulsory under Law No. 2 of 2018. The family is the unit of coverage.	A contribution set by law according to your category, for the family, plus small payments when you use a service. The state treasury pays for those unable to pay.	National ID for you and your spouse; the children’s birth certificates; proof of income.	Register the family at the nearest primary care unit. You are linked to a family doctor, who refers you on.	23 Oct 2026 (website of the Universal Health Insurance Authority, UHIA: FAQ and home page)
Private care	Anyone who can pay, or whose policy or employer pays.	Set by the provider. Ask what the fee covers before you book.	National ID; your policy or approval letter if an insurer pays; earlier reports.	Book directly with the clinic or hospital, and ask the questions in the list linked below.	No single official page; check with your provider and your policy

The public, HIO and UHI rows describe the authorities’ own published rules, read on the date shown. The private row has no official source. None of it is a promise about any hospital or any case.

Which route is open to me? Four questions, in order

1. Is this an emergency? Then the route does not matter yet: go to the nearest emergency department. Article 18 of the Constitution makes denying any form of medical treatment to a person in an emergency or life-threatening situation a crime, HIO says emergencies and accidents are received directly at hospitals, and UHIA says an insured person may use a unit outside its contracts when the condition is urgent. Do not wait for a card, a booking or a referral.
2. Do you live in a governorate where Universal Health Insurance has started? If so, it applies to you, and the older arrangements there, such as treatment at state expense, are cancelled, according to UHIA. The governorates are listed below.
3. If not, are you in an HIO category? Employment, a pension or school age decides it.
4. If neither, public hospitals and private providers are open to you. If you want a provider outside your scheme, ask first whether it will be covered. Ask the questions in five questions to ask before your next appointment, including the rough cost, before you go.

Is Universal Health Insurance in Egypt mandatory?

By law, yes, but only where it has started. Article 1 of Law No. 2 of 2018, as quoted on UHIA’s FAQ page (read 23 October 2026), applies it compulsorily to all citizens living in Egypt, and optionally to Egyptians working abroad and those living abroad with their families. The armed forces’ own health insurance and medical care rules continue to apply to its members and the families whose treatment it covers.

The same page quotes Article 48: except in emergencies, you benefit only if you are registered and have paid contributions from the date the law takes effect in your governorate. It adds that arrears can be paid, and that some employees are exempt from the condition if their employer failed to remit contributions.

Which governorates have Universal Health Insurance?

Phase one covers six governorates: Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, South Sinai, Luxor and Aswan, according to Al-Ahram on 7 September 2026. Phase two is announced for five more, and Al-Ahram reported the first of them, Minya, starting trial operation on that date. The rollout is moving, so read the table as a dated snapshot.

Phase	Governorates	Status, with source and date
One	Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, South Sinai, Luxor, Aswan	Running. Al-Ahram named the six on 7 September 2026 and described the nationwide rollout as in its second of six stages. UHIA’s home page, read 23 October 2026, carries first-half 2026 reports from Suez, Ismailia and South Sinai.
Two	Damietta, Matrouh, Kafr El-Sheikh, Minya, North Sinai	Announced in Cabinet reports of 19 November 2024 and 9 February 2025; the February report adds a study of one more large governorate. Al-Ahram reported on 7 September 2026 that Minya, the first to come under phase two, was starting trial operation with ten hospitals as a step toward its official launch. We read nothing on the status of the other four.
Later	Not listed here	Al-Ahram described the rollout on 7 September 2026 as in its second of six stages. We found no dated official list of later phases; check UHIA.

What is the older health insurance, and who runs it?

The older scheme is run by the Health Insurance Organization (HIO), a public authority. Its own website (read 23 October 2026) traces social health insurance in Egypt to 1964 and says today’s rules rest on two laws of 1975: Law 32, for government and public-body employees, and Law 79, the social insurance law, which includes sickness insurance for employees, pensioners and widows.

School pupils from kindergarten to secondary school are covered under Law 99 of 1992, and children from birth to school age under a ministerial decree of 1997. University students are outside that scheme, the same page says. Under Article 47 of Law 79, medical care covers general practitioner and specialist visits (dental included), home care, hospital stay and surgery, X-rays and lab tests, medicines, and rehabilitation. The page is a historical introduction, not a current eligibility list, so confirm your own category with HIO.

The newer scheme has a different set of owners. UHIA’s FAQ says three public authorities run it: UHIA, which manages and finances the purchase of services; the Healthcare Authority, which runs public hospitals, units and centres; and the healthcare accreditation and oversight authority, which licenses providers and checks quality. Each scheme has its own authority and its own website.

How do I start on each route?

Universal Health Insurance

1. Bring your national ID, your spouse’s, and the children’s birth certificates. The registration page also lists proof of income, such as salary details for employees or a tax return for the self-employed, and, for a family asking to be treated as unable to pay, documents such as a Takaful and Karama card.
2. Go as a family to the nearest primary care unit.
3. Your data is recorded and a family medical file is opened.
4. You are linked to a family doctor. To book one, UHIA’s home page (read 23 October 2026) says to call its hotline, 15344. The family doctor examines you and starts treatment, including tests, imaging and medicines, and refers you to a specialist or consultant, and then to a hospital, if needed. At the higher levels you can choose among public, private, university and military providers, according to UHIA’s FAQ.

Health Insurance Organization

HIO’s website has pages for booking clinics and for finding your clinic, and lists a hotline, 106 (read there on 23 October 2026). Care moves in stages: general practitioner first, then specialist or consultant, then hospitals and specialised centres, through an approved referral system. Emergencies and accidents are received directly at hospitals.

Public hospitals and private care

• Public: go to the hospital’s outpatient clinic with your ID and earlier reports, and ask at reception what is charged.
• Private: book with the provider, and ask what the quoted fee includes and whether your policy needs prior approval.
• Either way, bring your own file. How to ask for yours is in how to get a copy of your medical records.

What do I pay on each route?

It depends on the route, and this guide gives no figures, because a fee depends on the service, the provider and what your cover includes:

• Public: we found no official fee list. Ask at the cashier or reception what is charged, and keep the receipt.
• HIO: contributions are taken from wages or pensions, and HIO’s page notes some payments by the insured when they receive a service.
• UHI: a family contribution set by law according to category, plus small co-payments. UHIA’s home page says the state bears the treatment and contributions of those unable to pay and exempts them from co-payments. Contribution rules can change; UHIA’s pages are the place to confirm them.
• Private: the provider sets it. Ask what the fee covers and whether your policy pays.

A route that does not fit costs something too. We counted repeated tests, extra visits and late arrival in the hidden cost of a fragmented patient journey.

How does the older scheme differ from Universal Health Insurance in Egypt?

• The unit differs. UHIA’s FAQ says the older scheme insures the individual and Universal Health Insurance the whole family.
• The reach differs. The same page puts the older scheme’s reach at about half of citizens, and says Universal Health Insurance is designed to cover everyone, including groups the older scheme could not, such as university students and irregular workers (read 23 October 2026).
• The switch is by governorate. When Universal Health Insurance starts in a governorate, UHIA says everyone there is covered, the benefit package is no smaller than the older scheme’s, contributions are collected for the whole family and are not paid again as a share of social insurance contributions.
• Away from home. If a person insured under Universal Health Insurance falls ill in a governorate outside the system, UHIA says it will arrange care through its contract with the approved providers there. The same page gives another arrangement for an employee transferred out of a covered governorate: any hospital of their choice, with the cost reimbursed under UHIA’s price list. Ask UHIA which applies to you.

What this guide leaves out

It cannot tell you what a hospital charges, whether a particular case is covered, how treatment at state expense is granted, or what a private policy pays. Those answers sit with the facility, the authority or your insurer. It does not cover cards, forms or branch addresses either; the authorities’ own pages are the place for those. This page points to official sources and does not replace them.

Frequently asked questions

Is health insurance compulsory in Egypt?

Universal Health Insurance is compulsory by law for citizens living in Egypt, in the governorates where it has started, and optional for Egyptians working abroad; the armed forces keep their own system. Cover under the older HIO scheme follows your employment, pension or school category.

What is the difference between the old health insurance and Universal Health Insurance?

The older scheme (HIO) insures set categories, one person at a time. Universal Health Insurance is designed to cover every citizen, the family as a unit, and is introduced governorate by governorate, according to UHIA.

Which governorates have Universal Health Insurance?

Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, South Sinai, Luxor and Aswan in phase one; phase two is announced for five more, with Minya starting trial operation (Al-Ahram, 7 September 2026). Check UHIA for the current list.

Who pays if a person cannot afford the contribution?

The state treasury, according to UHIA, which says it pays the contribution and the co-payments for those unable to pay and for their dependants.

Can a foreigner use Universal Health Insurance?

UHIA’s FAQ says service may be provided to foreign residents and visitors under conditions set by UHIA and on the basis of reciprocity. Ask UHIA for the conditions that apply.

Can I go to a hospital outside my insurance in an emergency?

UHIA says an insured person may be treated at a unit that has no contract with it when the condition is urgent and cannot wait, and may claim the cost back under UHIA’s rules. HIO says emergencies and accidents are received directly at hospitals. In an emergency, go to the nearest emergency department.

Medigize is a non-diagnostic navigation tool. This is general information, not medical advice. In an emergency, call an ambulance or go to the nearest emergency department.

Sources

1. Health Insurance Organization (HIO): About the Authority, read 23 October 2026
2. Universal Health Insurance Authority (UHIA): Frequently asked questions, read 23 October 2026
3. Universal Health Insurance Authority (UHIA): home page, read 23 October 2026
4. Universal Health Insurance Authority (UHIA): registration, read 23 October 2026
5. Egyptian Cabinet: Prime Minister’s speech at the Universal Health Insurance Authority’s annual forum, dated 9 February 2025, read 23 October 2026
6. Egyptian Cabinet: follow-up on the second phase of Universal Health Insurance, dated 19 November 2024, read 23 October 2026
7. Al-Ahram: Minya UHIS trial to start with 10 hospitals, network to reach 26: EHA, dated 7 September 2026, read 23 October 2026
8. Constitute Project: Egypt’s Constitution of 2014, revised 2019, Article 18 (International IDEA translation), read 23 October 2026