The President’s Initiative to End Waiting Lists in Egypt has successfully performed over 2.7 million surgeries at no cost to patients, addressing financial barriers to urgent medical treatment. Dr. Ahmed Mustafa highlighted improvements in hospital capabilities and efficient data management through a unified electronic system. The initiative has significantly reduced average waiting times from months to just weeks since its launch in July 2018.
The Ministry of Health and Population in Egypt has reported that the President’s Initiative to End Waiting Lists has successfully completed over 2.7 million surgeries, offering these services free of charge to patients. This initiative is designed to provide urgent and critical surgeries for individuals who are financially unable to afford medical treatment.
Dr. Ahmed Mustafa, the Health Ministry’s Advisor, emphasized the ministry’s dedication to enhancing hospital capabilities to deliver high-quality medical care. This is accomplished through the continuous training of medical personnel and the provision of advanced surgical equipment, alongside improvements to the initiative’s automated data management system.
The initiative features a unified electronic system that facilitates the issuing of treatment decisions by connecting state-funded and health insurance services according to each hospital’s capacity. This system also allows seamless transfers of patient cases between service sectors, ensuring efficient care delivery.
Patients requiring surgeries under this initiative are encouraged to register via the dedicated website for case monitoring at http://wlms.smcegy.com, or to call the hotline at 15300 for assistance. Dr. Mustafa provided an update that since the initiative’s launch in July 2018, a total of 2,700,736 surgeries have been completed, addressing significant waiting lists and providing timely surgical care.
The initiative has received 260,033 calls from patients inquiring about waiting list statuses, with 220,452 cases tracked from July 2023 through February 2025. Surgeries covered include numerous specialties such as cardiology, orthopedics, ophthalmology, and oncology, ensuring centralized patient referrals to optimize treatment speed.
Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, stated that this initiative, launched by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in July 2018, addresses long-standing wait times in the healthcare system. Before the initiative, patients faced wait times up to 18 months for various critical surgeries. Today, the average wait time has been significantly reduced to two to three weeks, with all procedures funded through the state budget and contributions from civil organizations and the Tahya Misr Fund.
In conclusion, the President’s Initiative to End Waiting Lists has made considerable strides in providing free surgical services to the Egyptian population, completing over 2.7 million surgeries since its inception. This initiative not only improves access to essential healthcare services but also significantly shortens waiting times. With continued investments in hospital infrastructure and personnel training, the initiative aims to further enhance the quality of care for patients in need.
Original Source: www.egypttoday.com
