The governorates running Universal Health Insurance as the Authority itself states them, with the start month and a dated item behind each, how Minya, Qena and Aswan appear on its lists, and the 2018 law's phase plan.
The Universal Health Insurance Authority (UHIA) says the system is applied in six governorates: Port Said, Luxor, Ismailia, South Sinai, Suez and Aswan (UHIA news item, 16 June 2026). Its home page, read on 1 November 2026, still shows those six, as picture cards under «المحافظات المتاحة» (available governorates). Minya, the first governorate of UHIA’s second phase, is not on that list: UHIA’s items on it end with readiness checks for a trial operation (21 June 2026).
This page is built on what UHIA states, dated item by item, and on the Official Gazette text of Law No. 2 of 2018. It cannot tell you what you are entitled to: that is a question for UHIA.
In short:
- Running, per UHIA: Port Said, Luxor, Ismailia, South Sinai, Suez and Aswan, with UHIA’s own start months in the first table.
- Being prepared, per UHIA: Minya, the first of its second phase, with North Sinai, Matrouh, Damietta and Kafr El-Sheikh, and no start date on UHIA’s 16 June list.
- On neither UHIA list of 16 June 2026: every other governorate, Qena and the Red Sea among them.
Last checked: 1 November 2026, on the pages listed under Sources. Procedures, governorate lists and phone numbers change, so confirm them before you rely on them.
Which governorates have Universal Health Insurance now?
Six, as UHIA states it. The table gives each one’s start month as UHIA listed it on 3 August 2025, and a recent UHIA item about it.
| Governorate | Start, as UHIA states it | A recent UHIA item |
|---|---|---|
| Port Said | Trial in July 2019; official launch in November 2019 | 27 July 2026: the executive director meets the governor |
| Luxor | February 2021 | 24 September 2026: first-half 2026 results |
| Ismailia | July 2022 | 15 October 2026: first-half 2026 results |
| South Sinai | January 2024 | 11 October 2026: first-half 2026 results |
| Suez | December 2024 | 20 October 2026: first-half 2026 results |
| Aswan | July 2025; official application from 1 July 2025 | 11 October 2026: first year of operation |
Read on 1 November 2026. Start months come from UHIA’s item of 3 August 2025. Aswan’s 1 July 2025 date is from its item of 13 April 2026.
Is Universal Health Insurance running in Aswan or Qena?
Aswan, yes. Qena, not according to UHIA’s lists. UHIA says Aswan entered official application on 1 July 2025 (item of 13 April 2026) and reports its first year of operation (11 October 2026).
Qena is on neither UHIA list of 16 June 2026, and none of the UHIA news items we read from January to October 2026 names it. The 2018 law’s plan places Qena in the second phase (below), but the law calls its phases a guide, not a date.
What about Minya and the second phase?
UHIA puts Minya first among the second-phase governorates. UHIA’s 16 June list gives no start date for any of the five.
| Governorate | What UHIA says |
|---|---|
| Minya | Preparations were under way to start the trial operation in April 2026 (27 March 2026). First of the second phase, and the largest of them by population (7 June 2026). A delegation checked readiness for the trial operation and met the governor (21 June 2026). |
| North Sinai, Matrouh, Damietta, Kafr El-Sheikh | Named with Minya as the governorates UHIA is preparing to expand to in the second phase (16 June 2026). |
Read on 1 November 2026. UHIA’s branches and service-outlets pages list the same six governorates as the first table, and none in Minya.
Two Egyptian state items, not UHIA’s, say more. A Cabinet meeting of 6 May 2026, reported by the State Information Service, gave 1 June 2026 as the scheduled start of trial operation in Minya. A State Information Service report of 20 July 2026 says the Minister of Health held a meeting that day to follow the trial operation in Minya and confirmed that its primary care units and hospitals are ready, while stressing that preparation work be completed. UHIA’s items of 7 and 21 June 2026 still describe preparation, and no UHIA item after them says the trial operation has started.
What do trial operation and official operation mean?
UHIA separates a trial stage from a later one it calls official, or mandatory, operation. In a clarification of 27 March 2025 it says services are provided during the trial operation, which can reach 12 months, with no insurance contributions deducted, and that contributions are paid once the decision for mandatory operation of the system in the governorate is issued. Its item of 19 January 2026 says collecting contributions starts only after an official decision that the governorate has entered official operation.
Port Said shows both dates, four months apart. For the others, the items we read do not say which stage a month marks, apart from Aswan’s official 1 July 2025. Ask UHIA which stage applies in your governorate.
How did the law plan the governorates?
Issuing Article 3 of Law No. 2 of 2018 says its provisions apply gradually to the governorates, guided by the phases in Schedule 5, in a way that keeps the system financially sustainable and respects its actuarial balance (Official Gazette, issue 2, supplement (b), 11 January 2018, page 4; the English is our wording, not an official translation). Schedule 5, on page 50, reads:
| Phase | Governorates in Schedule 5 |
|---|---|
| First | Port Said, Suez, Ismailia, South Sinai, North Sinai |
| Second | Aswan, Luxor, Qena, Matrouh, Red Sea |
| Third | Alexandria, Beheira, Damietta, Sohag, Kafr El-Sheikh |
| Fourth | Assiut, New Valley, Fayoum, Minya, Beni Suef |
| Fifth | Dakahlia, Sharqia, Gharbia, Monufia |
| Sixth | Cairo, Giza, Qalyubia |
This is the plan the law set in 2018, not a record of what has started.
UHIA’s order differs from the schedule, and so does its “second phase”. Luxor and Aswan, in the schedule’s second phase, run, and North Sinai, in its first, is among those UHIA is preparing. UHIA’s second phase begins with Minya, in the schedule’s fourth phase, and includes Damietta and Kafr El-Sheikh, in its third.
In Egypt: how do I check my governorate?
- Open UHIA’s home page and read the section «المحافظات المتاحة».
- Look at the branches page for a branch in your governorate.
- Call hotline 15344, in the home page footer (read 1 November 2026), and ask: has it started in my governorate, as a trial or official operation, and from what date?
Issuing Article 3 also says that insured people keep their existing health insurance services under the existing laws until the new law applies to them (Gazette, page 5).
Related: what the system is, registration and the card and the law in plain language.
Where Medigize stands
Medigize is a navigation tool. It is not part of UHIA, and it does not register anyone in Universal Health Insurance or issue cards. We are building a record that moves with the patient, shared only with their consent. If you would like to follow that work, you can register your interest.
Frequently asked questions
Which governorates have Universal Health Insurance now?
Six, per UHIA: Port Said, Luxor, Ismailia, South Sinai, Suez and Aswan (item of 16 June 2026; home page read 1 November 2026). Confirm on UHIA’s home page or hotline 15344.
Is Universal Health Insurance in Qena?
Qena is on neither UHIA list of 16 June 2026. The 2018 law’s plan puts it in the second phase, as a guide, not a date.
Is Universal Health Insurance in Aswan?
Yes. UHIA says Aswan entered official application on 1 July 2025 (item of 13 April 2026).
Is Universal Health Insurance in Minya?
UHIA’s items of 7 and 21 June 2026 describe preparation and a readiness check for a trial operation, with no start date. UHIA’s item of 27 March 2026 had spoken of April 2026, and a Cabinet item of 6 May 2026 had scheduled it for 1 June 2026. Ask UHIA whether it has started and at which stage.
What is UHIA’s hotline?
The footer of UHIA’s home page lists 15344 (read 1 November 2026). It is not a medical emergency service: 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
- Universal Health Insurance Authority (UHIA): home page, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: digital payments session at the African medical conference, news item of 16 June 2026, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: results of services in the Canal region, news item of 3 August 2025, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: results of the system in Aswan, news item of 13 April 2026, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: executive director and the Port Said governor, news item of 27 July 2026, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: the system in Luxor, first half of 2026, news item of 24 September 2026, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: the system in Aswan, first year of operation, news item of 11 October 2026, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: the system in South Sinai, first half of 2026, news item of 11 October 2026, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: the system in Ismailia, first half of 2026, news item of 15 October 2026, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: the system in Suez, first half of 2026, news item of 20 October 2026, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: training programme for outlet specialists in Minya, in preparation for the trial operation, news item of 27 March 2026, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: delegation inspects preparations in Minya, news item of 7 June 2026, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: executive director meets the Minya governor, news item of 21 June 2026, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: an important clarification, news item of 27 March 2025, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: executive director at a session on the system’s expansion and the private sector, news item of 19 January 2026, read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: branches (undated), read 1 November 2026
- UHIA: beneficiary service outlets (undated), read 1 November 2026
- Law No. 2 of 2018 issuing the Universal Health Insurance System Law, Official Gazette, issue 2 supplement (b), 11 January 2018 (scanned PDF hosted by UHIA; page numbers in this guide are the Gazette’s own, and the PDF starts at Gazette page 4), read 1 November 2026
- State Information Service: the 91st Cabinet meeting, decisions of 6 May 2026 (the Minya item), read 1 November 2026
- State Information Service: the Minister of Health follows the trial operation of Universal Health Insurance in Minya, 20 July 2026, read 1 November 2026
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