LEGISLATION WATCH- The El Sisi administration has begun rolling out the first phase of the new Universal Healthcare Act, according to an Ittihadiya statement. The new system will be piloted first in Port Said with aims that include cutting wait times for treatment and testing some 45 mn citizens for hepatitis C over the course of two years in partnership with private pharma companies. The first phase will see renovation work start at 47 government-run hospitals across the country, with a focus first on Port Said. The government will also be completing a census of beneficiaries over the coming year before the system next rolls out in Suez, Ismailia, and North and South Sinai.

Background: Health Minister Hala Zayed had said last month that her primary priority as minister will be to drive implementation of the Universal Healthcare Act, which President Abdel Fattah El Sisi had signed into law back in January. The bill will set premiums for employers of 4% of each employee’s monthly salary, while employees will pay premiums of 1% of their salary into the system. It also sets a 0.25% tax on sales revenues for every company operating in Egypt to fund the system.