According to recent statements by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Egypt is undergoing major transformations in its health system under the guidance of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The clear goal is to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. These remarks were reported by Deputy Minister of Health and Population Mohamed al-Tayyeb during his participation in a global meeting on oral health organized by the World Health Organization from November 26 to 29 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Egypt is committed to integrating oral health and the prevention of non-communicable diseases into its primary health care framework, with the aim of establishing a comprehensive national policy on oral health by 2026. This policy aims to integrate oral health into the country’s overall health system, the Deputy Minister stressed.
The Bangkok Declaration was hailed as a unique opportunity to improve health systems by recognizing oral health as an essential component of public health, and no longer as a separate issue. The Deputy Minister highlighted the convergence of the declaration’s objectives with the ongoing health reforms in Egypt, aimed at providing comprehensive care to all citizens.
The Deputy Minister highlighted the adoption of the Universal Health Insurance Law in Egypt, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals in health. This law emphasizes equity, justice and the establishment of a strong social infrastructure to ensure that all citizens benefit from high-quality health care, including oral health.
Furthermore, Egypt reaffirms its commitment to implementing the Global Action Plan for Oral Health (2023-2030), emphasizing the integration of oral health into strategies to prevent non-communicable diseases, the promotion of health equity and the development of sustainable health systems.
The Deputy Minister reiterated Egypt’s commitment to advancing oral health and integrating it into global strategies to combat non-communicable diseases, calling for the translation of shared visions into tangible actions to make oral health a recognized right and an essential component of health systems globally.