The city of Luxor hosted an intensive and important workshop to discuss the implementation mechanisms of Prime Minister’s Decision No. 4586 of 2023, concerning the identification of the “needy” category and exempting them from the burdens and contributions of the Comprehensive Health Insurance Law. The workshop was attended by Dr. Ahmed Abdelrahman, Head of the Central Administration for Social Protection at the Ministry of Social Solidarity, Mohamed Mahmoud Gomaa, Director of the Social Solidarity Directorate in Luxor, Dr. Mohamed Abdel Rafea and Mahmoud Bayoumi from the Social Protection Department at the ministry, and representatives from the Comprehensive Health Insurance Authority in Luxor, aiming to facilitate health coverage for the most vulnerable groups.

The discussions focused on establishing a simplified executive framework to ensure full health coverage reaches the eligible exempted groups in the governorate, especially families benefiting from the “Takaful and Karama” program and other cash support programs. Dr. Ahmed Abdelrahman emphasized that the workshop’s goal is to “achieve actual integration between social protection networks and basic health services.” He pointed out the necessity to overcome all procedural obstacles to ensure the immediate and automatic inclusion of all eligible individuals, stressing that social protection is a right, not a grant. Challenges in implementation and delayed claims were also discussed.

The workshop addressed several practical challenges in applying the decision, most notably the rapid automatic updating of data to ensure continuous and real-time coordination between the databases of the Ministry of Social Solidarity and the Comprehensive Health Insurance Authority, handling complaints and individual issues by reviewing cases of citizens who may face difficulties proving their eligibility for exemption, and community awareness: the importance of launching simple and targeted awareness campaigns for the targeted groups to understand their rights and how to benefit from the exemption.

At the end of the workshop, it was agreed to form a permanent joint follow-up committee between the Social Solidarity Directorate and the Comprehensive Health Insurance Authority in Luxor to review and overcome any obstacles facing citizens in obtaining the comprehensive health insurance card without bearing financial burdens. This meeting comes within the framework of the state’s ongoing efforts to expand the umbrella of social and health insurance and ensure spatial and social justice in providing services to all citizens.