Cabinet approved yesterday a draft of the Universal Healthcare Act and referred it to the State Council, Ahram Gate reports. The Health Ministry will receive the actuarial studies on its implementation within three weeks, Health Minister Ahmed Rady said, Al Shorouk reports. Once approved, the act will be implemented in Canal governorates as a first stage as soon as it the House of Representatives approves it prior to a nationwide implementation by 4Q2017, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail previously said. Under the act, the state will finance health insurance for those who cannot afford it, which the government currently estimates to be 30-40% of the population, Rady says. State hospitals will be the main healthcare providers under the program with private hospitals participating if they meet specific accreditation and quality control authority requirements. You can read more about the act in our Spotlight from last month.

Talk of price controls postponed to next week: Cabinet was also expected to discuss the Consumer Protection Act and “price controls frameworks” at its meeting yesterday, but postponed the discussion until its next meeting, Al Masry Al Youm reports.