Healthcare Authority and e-Finance plan national digital-health alliance, with a Clinc Plus pilot in Minya

What the two sides discussed

The meeting explored building a national alliance in digital health technology that would bring together national expertise, capabilities and investment to develop the technology infrastructure of the Universal Health Insurance System. The talks looked at ways to raise the efficiency of health facilities by developing hospital information systems (HIS) and linking them directly to the claims and payments system (Payer System), so that data flows between systems, decisions are taken faster and the service remains sustainable. The two sides also discussed using e-Finance’s technology infrastructure, data centres and cloud computing to run unified digital monitoring dashboards with data security, and studying the technical, regulatory and data-security requirements, as well as using artificial intelligence in medical and administrative services.

The Clinc Plus pilot in Minya

The meeting also discussed the possibility of piloting the Clinc Plus system in five primary-care units in Minya, once the technical coordination is complete. The pilot would test how easy the system is to use, how well it fits patients’ needs and the pathways through which services are delivered, and its operating efficiency, while training the medical teams — with the results then evaluated before any decision on expanding it. No date for the pilot was announced, and the reports describe it as a possibility under discussion, not a launched programme.

What happens next

The two sides agreed to complete the arrangements for signing a formal cooperation agreement during Cairo ICT, the Cairo International Technology Exhibition and Conference, taking place in November. From the authority’s side, the meeting was also attended by Dr. Gamal Ratba, adviser to the chairman for actuarial and financial studies and head of the central administration for financial affairs; Major General Hisham Shendi, head of the central administration for information systems and digital transformation; and Mohamed Ibrahim, head of the central administration for legal affairs. Dr. El-Sobky said national technology alliances are a strategic step towards unifying capabilities and digitising the health sector, while Dr. Sarhan said combining technological expertise with investment opens new horizons for integrated digital solutions in health. No investment figure or timetable for the alliance itself was announced at the meeting.