Egypt Health Insurance for Expats

International Health Insurance for Expats in Egypt

Expats in Egypt are strongly urged to secure international health insurance for maximum peace of mind and comprehensive coverage for themselves that they can also extend to their families. Beyond basic medical coverage, medical evacuation coverage also allows access to better hospitals abroad.

This guide by Pacific Prime will discuss health insurance options available for expats in Egypt as well as a rundown of the country’s healthcare system and general safety and wellbeing tips in the country.

Recommended International Health Insurance Plans for Expatriates Living in Egypt

The Healthcare System in Egypt

The Egyptian healthcare system consists of the public and private systems, the former of which is of low standards due to lack of funding and a shortage of medical staff while the latter of which is preferred among expats due to higher standards with greater quality care, equipment, and more.

In the sections to follow, we will be discussing public and private hospitals in Egypt.

Public Hospitals in Egypt

Despite the Egyptian government’s attempt at reforming the country’s public healthcare system, public healthcare in Egypt is still considered subpar for both expats and local Egyptian citizens alike.

While providing free healthcare, expats tend to shy away from public hospitals due to poor sanitation, outdated medical equipment, shortage of trained medical staff, and crowded facilities which results in longer waiting times.

Because of the aforementioned shortcomings of public hospitals in Egypt, expats in particular tend to shy away from public hospitals in favor of their private counterparts, which brings us to our next point.

Private Hospitals in Egypt

Despite the considerably higher cost in comparison to their public counterparts, private hospitals in Egypt are generally preferred among expats. The reasons why can be seen in its various benefits that make up for the shortcomings of public hospitals.

Private hospitals are of a much higher standard with modern medical equipment. Additionally, its medical staff are better-trained and multilingual, which means expats can expect to get high-quality care and easily communicate with doctors and nurses without any language barrier issues.

Below are some examples of notable private hospitals in Egypt:

• El Gezira Polyclinic: This private hospital features a multitude of medical services available, such as urology, vascular surgery, pediatrics, ophthalmology, neurology, and more.
• Ghaly’s Medical Group: This private hospital features numerous areas of medical services available to choose from, such as pediatrics, cardiology, dental and orthopedic care, physiotherapy, and many more.

Health Insurance Options for Expats in Egypt

When it comes to options for health insurance in Egypt, expats have the option of choosing either the country’s default public health insurance system or securing their own private health insurance for good measure.

Below we will discuss the health insurance options available for expats in Egypt.

Public Health Insurance in Egypt

Egypt’s public health insurance scheme is known as the Universal Health Insurance System and the various public healthcare facilities in the country are overseen by the Egypt Healthcare Authority.

While allowing access to basic healthcare at best, it’s worth noting that public hospitals in Egypt, as mentioned earlier, are considered by many to be subpar due to understaffed, crowded facilities that result in long waiting times, and limited medical equipment.

Because of this, expats tend to opt out of public health insurance in Egypt in favor of its private health insurance alternative, which naturally brings us to our next point.

Private Health Insurance in Egypt

Because of the various problematic shortcomings of public healthcare in Egypt, expats generally opt out of the latter altogether in favor of securing their private health insurance plan for better hospital accessibility.

Below are the various benefits of private health insurance for expats in Egypt:

• Free Selection: With private health insurance, you can freely personalize your healthcare experience by selecting any particular hospital or doctor you would like. This may include multilingual medical staff, hospitals with shorter waiting times, or better amenities.
• Multilingual Staff Accessibility: Private health insurance allows you to freely choose hospitals with multilingual staff, ensuring you not only gain access to quality treatment but also allows you to better understand and communicate with doctors and nurses.
• Access to Shorter Waiting Times: Private health insurance also allows access to hospitals with shorter waiting times, granting you quicker access to the treatment you need regardless of whether or not it is a medical emergency, which is an issue with public hospitals’ waiting times.
• Access to Hospitals with Better Amenities: With private hospitals, you can also select hospitals known for superior amenities, such as more spacious wards, compared to their public counterparts. This would be especially useful for hospitalized patients or expats expecting a child.
• Additional Benefits if Needed: You also have the option to add any additional benefit on top of your default plans as you would like. This may include dental care, vision care, prescription glasses, or maternity care coverage, allowing maximum coverage for yourself and your family.

Because public hospitals in Egypt are considered inferior to their private counterparts, the latter of which may not be accessible to every expat due to geographical boundaries, we strongly urge you to secure international health insurance for maximum peace of mind.

Assuming you live in a particular area in Egypt where it’s unfortunately common for public hospitals to be subpar in quality and private hospital accessibility is next to impossible, this is where medical evacuation coverage comes in.

If your international health insurance plan covers medical evacuation, not only will you be able to call for a method of transportation to get you to a better hospital overseas, but you will also be able to keep your finances safe from the overwhelming cost of transportation overseas.

Recommended International Health Insurance Providers for Expats in Egypt

Some notable international health insurance providers for expats in Egypt include Geoblue, AXA, and more. In the following sections below, we will discuss each insurer and give you a brief rundown of their general shared features.

AXA

Health insurance plans from AXA Global provide multiple levels of customizable coverage, such as options for emergency care, hospitalization, outpatient treatments, as well as medical evacuation. With maximum flexibility, it’s easy to see why AXA’s plans are a favorite among expats.

The following are key examples of the shared areas coverage seen throughout AXA’s different health insurance plans:

Geoblue

Geoblue’s Xplorer health insurance plans come inessential and premier types, both of which are designed for expats traveling from the United States for business and studying, or just leisure purposes.

Expats can also pick between worldwide coverage options with or without the US. Some of the common features of Geoblue’s various health insurance plans include the following:

Cigna Global

Cigna Global offers customizable, comprehensive health insurance plans, granting maximum peace of mind and flexibility for expats as well as access to 24/7 customer service. Types of plans available from Cigna Global consist of the Silver plan, the Gold plan, and the Platinum plan.

Each plan has its own set of benefits and coverage limits. The common benefits shared throughout Cigna Global’s health insurance plans are listed below:

Factors to Consider When Securing Insurance in Egypt

Expats securing health insurance must consider various important factors such as foregoing price-based decisions in favor of benefit comprehensiveness and Egypt’s subpar public healthcare by default.

The following are key factors expats should consider when securing health insurance in Egypt.

• Never Decide Based on Price: When securing a health insurance plan, it’s important never to decide based solely on price. This is because the cheapest plan will not guarantee comprehensive coverage and leave you with odd gaps of uninsured areas.
• Comprehensiveness Comes First: Instead, decide based on the comprehensiveness of the plan and different benefits such as dental, vision, or maternity care. This will allow you to extend coverage to your family, ensuring everyone can access quality healthcare.
• The Subpar Public Healthcare System: Egypt’s public healthcare, unfortunately, is considered by many to be subpar due to medical equipment and staff shortage as well as longer waiting times, all of which can be incredibly problematic for expats seeking urgent treatment.

Health and Safety Tips for Expats in Egypt

Expats in Egypt should be aware of the risk of certain crimes such as bag snatching, pickpocketing, and break-ins. Additionally, aside from updating routine vaccinations like the flu or COVID-19 vaccines, other vaccinations like the Hepatitis vaccines and many others are strongly recommended.

Below are safety tips expats should keep in mind while in Egypt:

• Bag Snatching and Pickpocketing: When you’re unaware, bag snatchers (whether on foot or motorcycle) can sneak up on you and snatch your bag away or certain pickpockets may sneak in and pick belongings out of your bag while they’re unattended.
  • Avoid carrying excessive valuables and large sums of cash as well as documents. Instead, leave them back at your home or hotel. Additionally, do not leave your belongings unattended, and avoid walking alone at night.

Recommended Vaccines for Expats in Egypt

Some vaccines expats should get in preparation for heading to Egypt include updating all routine vaccinations such as COVID-19 or influenza vaccines, all of which are listed below:

• Influenza
• COVID-19
• Chickenpox
• TDAP (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis)
• MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)
• Shingles
• Polio

Additionally, expats should get other types of vaccines such as the Hepatitis vaccines, Measles, Rabies, and more. The following are other types of vaccines expats in Egypt should get beyond routine vaccination updates:

• Hepatitis A and B
• Measles
• Rabies
• Typhoid
• Yellow Fever

If you would like to learn more about vaccine doses or any other recommendations, we encourage you to check out the article below from the CDC for further reading:

Egypt - Traveler view | Travelers' Health | CDC

Emergency Numbers for Expats in Egypt

Expats in Egypt have a plethora of emergency numbers available for usage such as the police, ambulance, and more, which we have listed below:

• Ambulance: 123
• Tourist Police: 126
• Traffic Police: 128
• Emergency Police: 122
• Fire Department: 180
• Electricity Emergency: 121
• Natural Gas Emergency: 129

Frequently Asked Questions

Is healthcare in Egypt good?

The public healthcare system in Egypt, unfortunately, is low in standards due to a lack of funding, poor sanitation, as well as a shortage of staff and modern medical equipment. Thus, facilities can often get crowded and waiting times can be long.

What are the biggest causes of death in Egypt?

Some of the most common causes of death in Egypt include non-communicable diseases (NCD) like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases.

Why are doctors leaving Egypt?

Common reasons for doctors leaving Egypt, which culminates in the country’s recurring issue of medical staff shortage, include low wages, poor work environment, as well as under-equipped, understaffed medical facilities.

Conclusion

As you can see, Egypt’s default public healthcare has many shortcomings like lack of medical equipment and qualified staff as well as long waiting times, all of which can be extremely problematic for expats seeking treatment.

However, an international health insurance plan will grant you access to greater quality care to not only safeguard your finances from medical bills but also give you the option of extending your coverage to your family for maximum peace of mind.

And this is where Pacific Prime and our brokers with over 20 years of experience come in. We can help you compare and select suitable health insurance plans that match not only your budget but also your unique healthcare needs to ensure maximum coverage for yourself and your family.

Contact us today or compare quotes with our online quotation system!