Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population, announced the medical insurance plan for the New Year and Christmas celebrations 2025, as part of the ministry's plan to maintain public health for citizens.
Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar explained that the plan includes several key areas: (prevention, emergency services, critical and urgent care, health awareness and education, monitoring and evaluation of the plan), noting the formation of a central monitoring room comprising (the Therapeutic Medicine Sector, the Central Administration for Therapeutic Affairs, the Central Administration for Emergency and Urgent Care), as well as establishing monitoring rooms in the health directorates across the governorates.
Dr Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, indicated that the state of readiness has been raised in general and central hospitals, ensuring an adequate stock of medicines and medical supplies is available, in addition to supplying medical convoys and mobile clinics with a sufficient stock of medicines and supplies, distributing these convoys near churches, parks, and public gardens, and supporting remote areas and Upper Egypt.
Abdel Ghaffar continued that the plan includes raising the readiness level of the Egyptian Ambulance Authority to the highest degree across all governorates, explaining that 661 ambulances will be stationed to secure churches, parks, and public places, with an additional 1,044 ambulances stationed to secure highways and main roads. Moreover, a crisis management and central monitoring room will be activated around the clock to follow up on events and provide regular reports and updates to senior management at the Ambulance Authority, along with continuous communication with the crisis room at the Cabinet and wireless connections with rescue and civil defense sectors and relevant health directorates.
Abdel Ghaffar added that the preventive preparations for the medical insurance plan include several areas, namely; (continuing to provide necessary preventive services, implementing precautionary measures at border crossings, food safety and security, health environmental measures, combating disease vectors, and applying precautionary measures during gatherings with supervision and monitoring).
He clarified that a strategic stockpile of vaccines and preventive and therapeutic serums will be provided in the preventive room at all health directorates across the governorates, along with therapeutic serums available in hospitals.
Additionally, the state of readiness in the emergency preventive room at the Ministry's headquarters and the preventive rooms in all health directorates will be raised to receive inquiries, complaints, reports, and daily updates around the clock, along with continuous monitoring of the global epidemiological situation regarding diseases and urgent health events worldwide, with immediate reporting to take necessary actions and coordination with general and central hospitals and poison control centres for early detection of any suspected cases of food poisoning and gastroenteritis, reporting them immediately and following up.
Abdel Ghaffar emphasized the application of precautionary measures at border crossings (quarantine) by raising the state of readiness to the maximum level at all entry points, taking all necessary health precautions, and ensuring that all required emergency medicines, vaccines, and serums are available.
He noted the achievement of food security and safety through the formation of teams from the General Administration for Food Control in cooperation with health directorates in the governorates, to ensure compliance with (health requirements, food handling workers, food product safety, and the disposal of unfit food items for human consumption), as well as sampling (food and water) and analysing them in central laboratories and their branches to ensure they meet health standards.
Abdel Ghaffar pointed out that medical evacuation hospitals have been designated in the governorates, and precise and highly specialised medical specialties have been identified in each region, explaining the activation of notification mechanisms and communication for health emergency services and receiving all medical consultations regarding poisons through the emergency service line 137.
He added that awareness and community engagement teams will be deployed around parks, public squares, and gathering places for citizens and churches across the governorates to educate citizens on the healthy habits to be followed, in addition to informing them about presidential health initiative services and their locations.
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Abdel Ghaffar confirmed that the General Authority for Health Care has raised the state of readiness in health units and hospitals in the governorates covered by comprehensive health insurance (Port Said, Luxor, Ismailia, South Sinai, Aswan, Suez), which includes 267 units and family health centres and 35 hospitals, in addition to raising the state of readiness in all hospitals and emergency departments in those governorates, ensuring appropriate communication means between the national network rooms in hospitals, and ensuring rapid intervention in emergencies and dealing with them, along with the readiness of rapid response teams, coordination with the Egyptian Ambulance Authority and designation of medical evacuation hospitals, in addition to convening the central emergency and crisis room and forming teams for daily inspections of health facilities affiliated with the authority to ensure readiness.
