Health insurance in Egypt for expats

The public healthcare system in Egypt is partially subsidised  by the government, with access to a basic level of care. For example, the government will cover:

• 10% of the cost of a body scan.
• 20% of a lab test up to a maximum of EGP 1000 (approx. £15; $20; €18)
•  7% of a hospital stay up to a maximum of EGP 1500 (approx. £23; $30; €27).¹ 

Many churches and mosques also operate their own free-to-access clinics for members of their faith communities who need support. 

Given the limited facilities in the public system, the private healthcare system in Egypt is large: of the 1800 hospitals in Egypt, over 60% of them are private.² These facilities provide much better standards of care, and private hospitals also cover many  types of treatment that aren’t available through national health insurance, such as cancer, dentistry, and chronic diseases.

But public and private hospitals have one thing in common – many require upfront cash payments or security deposits for treatment. This applies even to foreign expats and wealthy locals that have private health insurance in place, who then have to claim the money back from their insurers.

Common complaints around public healthcare in Egypt include underfunding, outdated equipment, long waiting times, insufficient staff and poor sanitation.³ And from an expat perspective, understanding staff and being understood in a public facility may be difficult if you don’t speak Arabic. This means that anyone who can afford to avoid the public system and use private hospitals tend to do so. 

Private facilities are generally much better than their public equivalents in terms of quality of care, waiting times and access to specialists. Staff are also more likely to speak English and have more experience in dealing with expats. Costs can vary substantially from one private hospital to another, so it’s a good idea to do some detailed research into the best hospitals in the area you plan to live in.

Egypt is currently in the process of implementing a Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS), which aims to improve care access and quality for Egyptian citizens.⁴ Within this system, which the government is aiming to have implemented fully by 2027, social security contributions are made by employees and employers to fund extra investment into the public healthcare system.

However, this won’t solve the problem for expats, for whom out-of-pocket or pay-as-you-go healthcare can be very expensive. Unless you’re moving to Egypt for work and can negotiate private healthcare cover as one of your employee benefits, investing in international private health cover can really help to prevent bills from ramping up quickly, and can make accessing healthcare much more cost-effective. 

Expats are expected to have private healthcare plans in place to pay for their healthcare in Egypt. Many employers will offer private healthcare packages as an employee benefit, but when this isn’t the case, personal international health cover will be considered.

What kind of documentation do I need to access healthcare in Egypt?

Paperwork is vitally important when it comes to healthcare in Egypt, as many hospitals will ask for upfront cash payments and/or security deposits before providing any treatment. Make sure you get as much paperwork and receipts for your payments as possible, so that you can claim this money back from your insurer at a later date.

It may also be handy to keep your private healthcare insurance documents close to hand, especially if you’re in a relatively remote area. Because of the limited care provision in those areas, you may find yourself being moved to Cairo if you need more specialist treatment or even repatriated to a different country. Being able to prove you have insurance in place, wherever you end up, can make things much easier.

To ensure you aren’t stung with bills that can quickly spiral out of control, private healthcare insurance is a good option. It’s also a good way of ensuring that you can get the best possible care when you need it, so that you don’t have to rely on public healthcare facilities.

What are the benefits of private health insurance in Egypt?

As healthcare services are  inconsistent in Egypt, taking out private health insurance cover can make sure you get the best care, as well as- peace of mind:

• Quality care: private healthcare facilities generally offer a higher standard of care than public facilities.
• Easier access to specialists: getting in touch with a specialist tends to be easier and faster at a private facility, where there is a wider range of trained clinicians available.
• Shorter waiting times: with high patient volumes to deal with, public facilities often struggle with long waiting times, which can be avoided by going private.
• Cleaner, more comfortable facilities: hygiene, sanitation and equipment are all generally of higher quality in private hospitals.
• No language barrier: most private hospitals, especially in Cairo, are experienced in treating expats and will have large numbers of English speakers in their workforce.

Would I need dental insurance in Egypt?

The public healthcare system in Egypt  has a very limited provision for dental care, so private health cover is a good option for accessing this service. Egypt is a popular destination for dental tourism as prices can be competitive by Western standards, but specialist procedures can still cost hundreds of pounds, dollars or euros if paid for out-of-pocket.² Taking out private insurance with dental cover can avoid these large bills.

Egypt has separate emergency numbers for different services. The number to call for an ambulance is 123. However, Cairo in particular is known for chronic traffic jams, which means it’s usually faster to arrange your own transport to hospital in case of an emergency.

The fire brigade can be reached on 180 and the police on 122.There’s also a special police number (126) for tourists who need help.