Egypt : Complete Profile - What is GIS - World Health Organization

Health Systems Profile- Egypt Regional Health Systems Observatory- EMRO
Except for South Sinai and New Valley governorates, which have the lowest population
density in the country, the governorate of Cairo has the largest capacity of inpatient
beds (one bed per 212 pop.), as shown in Table 3f and in Figure 5, Fayoum, Bahaira and
Qena are the lowest-bedded governorates (one bed per 968 pop., one bed per 882 pop.
and one bed per 872 pop., respectively).
Public/private distribution of hospital beds
Both the excess and misdistribution of bed capacity is aggravated by the MOHP–public–
private imbalance. In many of the governorates with above national bed capacity (2.2
beds per 1,000 population in 2001), there is a strong presence of the private sector
alongside the public sector. This is the case in Cairo (4.72 beds per 1,000 population in
2001), Alexandria (3.05 beds per 1,000 population in 2001), Port Said (2.88 beds per
1,000 population in 2001) and other governorates. In these governorates there is a
strong HIO and CCO presence, in addition to an extensive MOHP network. Conversely,
governorates such as Fayoum, Baheira and Qena, which have weak parastatal and or
private capacities, are not targeted by the MOHP. The private sector should be invited
and encouraged to share in health provision in such governorates and also in the remote
and frontiers ones.
The Egyptian National Health Care Provider Survey conducted by MOHP and Data for
Decision-Making (DDM) estimates that there are between 38,000 and 50,000 single
doctor practices in the country. See table 8.2.7 for number of private sector providers
and table 8.2.8 for private sector services
Table 8.2.7: Private sector providers(2005)
Type of service Number 2002 Beds 2002 Number 2005 Beds 2005
Hospital 2024 22647 1329 26223
Clinics 44417* - 33980 -
Source: NICHP .2005
*Single physician clinic. Polyclinics and dental clinics
Of the physicians sampled in private clinics, 92% were male, and 8% female. Of the 8%
of female physicians, the majority is located in urban areas.
This has the implication that women in rural areas have limited access to female
physicians in the private sector and where it may be particularly uncomfortable for them
to be seen by male physicians.
Table 8.2.8: Private sector services (2002)
Types of services Number %
Single physician clinics 30,992 57.38
Polyclinics 7,073 13.10
Dental clinics 6,352 11.76
Medical laboratories 4,199 7.77
Dental laboratories 396 0.73
Private hospitals 1,869 3.46
Renal dialysis centers 343 0.64
83