The parliament’s Health Committee asked Minister of Health Ahmed Emad El-Din to present a statement on the ministry’s expenditure during the first half (H1) of the current fiscal year (FY), as well as the ministry’s budget allocations during the year. Parliamentary sources said that the minister told the Health Committee that the ministry’s budget allocation reached EGP 47bn, although the government and the parliament had agreed to increase the health budget to EGP 74bn. The parliament’s Health Committee summoned the minister of health to participate in a hearing session on the ministry’s strategy for the development of 377 hospitals during the coming period. Assistant health minister for financial affairs Sayyed El-Shahed said that the Ministry of Health’s budget allocations amount to EGP 47.8bn, not EGP 74bn. He told Daily News Egypt that his ministry’s allocations are estimated at 1.5% of the GDP, and are expected to reach 3% of the GDP within the coming two years.

Source: Daily News Egypt January 18, 2017 14:44 UTC