New law is risky, will diminish healthcare services in Egypt: Amnesty

A new law privatising healthcare in Egypt will jeopardise the accessibility and availability of health services, particularly for those lacking health insurance and/or living in poverty, Amnesty International said today.

“The new law is another blow to people’s social and economic rights, which continue to deteriorate with no end in sight under President Al-Sisi’s government which has seen record inflation and cost of living skyrocket.” said Mahmoud Shalaby, Amnesty International’s Egypt researcher.

The report says, instead of protecting people’s right to health amid the ongoing economic crisis, the government is attempting to evade its obligations at the expense of the poorest who will be most impacted

“The government of Egypt cannot simply hand over the keys of a struggling public healthcare system to the private sector without clear regulations to ensure that all people living in the country have access to affordable and quality healthcare,” Shalaby added.

OPINION: Egyptians face illness amid a serious scarcity of medicines