Opinion writers giving us lessons on the need for public health: The poor quality of Egypt’s healthcare services has a direct negative effect on the country’s development, Ashraf Abdel Aal says. He explains that poor healthcare means that Egypt’s working class is not as productive as it could be if citizens had access to quality services that could help them ensure they are in good health. Abdel Aal points the finger of blame at the lack of and improper distribution of funding for the healthcare sector, noting that the state’s budget allocation for healthcare has fallen short of its required threshold for several years and the funding that is provided is mostly used to pay wages, rather than actually improve services.