The Health Ministry has signed an agreement with an actuarial consulting firm to run an assessment of the Universal Health Insurance Act in conjunction with the Finance Ministry, Health Minister Ahmed Rady told Al Borsa. Drafting the law was completed around four months ago, Rady said, noting that the ministry will pass it on to the House of Representatives once the assessments are completed. We had noted back in May that the latest version of the law will ensure coverage for a wider array of medical conditions that were previously excluded, including mental health issues, injuries related to natural disasters, and preventative medicine.

Speaking on the ongoing med shortages, Rady added that this is expected to be resolved in a matter of months, adding that the government will not allow a further increase in their prices. This comes as parliamentary sources tell the newspaper that the House Speaker Ali Abdel Aal is inclined to accept a motion to form a fact-finding committee to investigate the shortages, which was brought up by the House Health Committee. Rady, who has always downplayed the extent of the shortages, said only 170 types of pharma products were running low, while the House and other sources puts the figure at 1,700. Rady is also catching flak from the House over the infant formula shortages, as the National Progressive Unionist Party is attempting to bring a case against him with the Prosecutor General for alleged corruption in the import of formula.