Lebanese Health Minister Receives Award for Strengthening Health System Resilience

Lebanese Minister of Public Health Rakan Nasser al-Din continued his visit to Egypt to participate in the fifth edition of the Africa Health Excon 2026 conference and exhibition. During the event, he received the Leadership Award in Enhancing Health System Resilience from the Arab Hospitals Federation, recognizing his efforts to develop Lebanon’s health system despite increasingly difficult circumstances caused by the expanding war.

On the second day of his visit, Minister Nasser al-Din focused on examining Egypt’s experience in implementing universal health coverage. He held a meeting with Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky, Chairman of the Board of the General Authority for Health Care and General Supervisor of the Universal Health Insurance Project, in the presence of Dr. Fadi Allam, Member of Parliament and President of the Arab Hospitals Federation, and Dr. Alice Yamin Bouez, CEO of the Federation and Vice President of the Global Medical Tourism Council.

During the meeting, Minister Nasser al-Din presented the efforts made by Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health to enhance the efficiency of health services and improve access to care. He stated, “What Egypt has achieved under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in reforming the health sector and establishing universal health coverage represents a pioneering Arab model,” praising “the significant achievements made by the Egyptian state in developing health infrastructure, improving the quality of health services, and building a modern health system based on governance, sustainability, and efficiency.”

He also highlighted the ongoing distinguished cooperation between Egypt and Lebanon across various fields, especially in health, expressing his aspiration “to strengthen collaboration with Egypt and benefit from its advanced expertise in universal health insurance, health system management, digital transformation, human capacity building, and medical tourism.”

Dr. Ahmed El-Sobky reviewed Egypt’s qualitative achievements in implementing the universal health insurance system across the governorates of Port Said, Luxor, Ismailia, South Sinai, Suez, and Aswan, alongside the official launch of the system in Minya as the first governorate of the second phase. This progress reflects continuous advancement toward achieving universal health coverage for all citizens.

He noted that the Authority is fully prepared to exchange technical and operational expertise with the Lebanese side and provide technical and consultancy support across various health care fields. He confirmed that transferring Egyptian expertise to Arab brothers has become a key focus of the Authority’s regional role, especially following the successes of Egypt’s universal health insurance system.

Dr. El-Sobky added that Egypt’s universal health insurance system has become an inspiring model for health reform in the Arab and African regions, and that the General Authority for Health Care has become a regional platform for exchanging knowledge, expertise, and best practices in managing and operating health services.

Dr. Fadi Allam, President of the Arab Hospitals Federation, emphasized the importance of enhancing joint Arab cooperation in the health sector and supporting the exchange of successful experiences among Arab countries. He said this contributes to developing health systems and maximizing the benefits of accumulated expertise within the Arab region.

He pointed out that Egypt’s experience in health reform and universal health insurance represents one of the most prominent successful Arab models, from which lessons can be drawn and generalized across the region. This supports sustainable health development efforts and strengthens the readiness of Arab health systems to face future challenges.

Dr. Alice Yamin Bouez stated that the Arab Hospitals Federation works to enhance integration among Arab health institutions and encourages the exchange of expertise, innovations, and best practices. This contributes to building more efficient, sustainable health systems capable of meeting citizens’ needs. She stressed the importance of benefiting from successful Arab models, particularly Egypt’s experience in universal health insurance and medical tourism.

Both parties agreed to continue coordination and cooperation in the upcoming period. They will study several joint initiatives and projects in areas such as human capacity building, health care system development, exchange of technical and operational expertise, promotion of digital health transformation, quality systems and accreditation development, and expanding cooperation in medical tourism. These efforts aim to support health reform pathways and enhance the quality and sustainability of health services in both brotherly countries.

Minister Nasser al-Din also visited the pavilion of the General Authority for Universal Health Insurance at the health exhibition held alongside the conference. He was briefed by the Authority’s Executive Director, Mr. Hossam Sadeq, on the advanced steps Egypt has taken toward achieving universal health coverage.

Sadeq outlined the Authority’s role in managing and financing the health system, mechanisms for registering beneficiaries, and delivering health services. He added that the increasing international attention to the system reflects the success of Egypt’s integrated model for universal health coverage and underscores the importance of continuing to develop services and enhance the efficiency of health care management and financing according to the best international standards and practices.

In a separate meeting, Minister Nasser al-Din met with Dr. Ali El-Ghamrawy, Chairman of the Egyptian Drug Authority, to discuss ways to strengthen joint cooperation in pharmaceutical and regulatory fields and exchange expertise in light of Egypt’s experience in developing its pharmaceutical system in line with the latest international standards and practices.

The minister expressed appreciation for Egypt’s advanced experience in pharmaceutical regulation, affirming Lebanon’s keenness to enhance cooperation with the Egyptian Drug Authority and benefit from its expertise in developing Lebanon’s national regulatory framework. He also indicated the Lebanese Ministry of Health’s orientation toward establishing a more integrated institutional framework for pharmaceuticals, emphasizing the importance of ongoing coordination and partnership with Egypt to support capacity building and regulatory framework development, which will positively impact the quality of health and pharmaceutical services in Lebanon.

Dr. El-Ghamrawy confirmed that the Authority continues to support the exchange of expertise and knowledge transfer, contributing to building effective regulatory systems that ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of medical products and promote pharmaceutical security concepts regionally and internationally.

Both sides agreed to maintain coordination and communication in the coming period and work on developing mechanisms for joint cooperation that serve mutual interests and support efforts to advance pharmaceutical and health systems.