Egypt establishes National Council for Medical Tourism
The cabinet said in a statement on Tuesday that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar will chair the council.
It will be empowered to issue binding decisions and oversee the development and implementation of a national strategy for medical tourism, ensuring alignment with global standards and trends.
Its mandate includes launching promotional campaigns, setting international-standard quality benchmarks, encouraging private sector involvement, and designing unified marketing policies to position Egypt competitively in the global medical tourism market.
The council will also establish a national digital platform to consolidate data and manage services, collect statistics on medical tourism beneficiaries, and ensure equal access for public and private providers.
It will be responsible for identifying and removing barriers to access and creating a mechanism to receive and resolve complaints from clients using medical tourism services in Egypt.
The council's chair will submit a quarterly report outlining progress, challenges, and solutions to the Prime Minister.
The initiative forms part of Egypt’s broader push to diversify its tourism offerings and attract more international visitors seeking medical and wellness services.
In July 2023, the General Authority for Healthcare (GAH) launched Egypt’s first national digital platform for medical tourism. According to GAH Chairman Ahmed El-Sobky, the global medical tourism market exceeds $115 billion annually, growing at over 12.5 percent, and projections show it will reach $346 billion by 2030.
Egypt ranked fourth in the Middle East and 26th globally in the 2022 Medical Tourism Index, following Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Oman regionally. Canada, Singapore, Japan, Spain, and the UK topped the global list.
Tourism is a vital source of foreign currency for Egypt. Under its national tourism strategy, the government aims to attract 30 million visitors annually by 2028.
In 2024, Egypt received a record 15.7 million tourists, generating $14.1 billion in revenue—surpassing the previous year’s 14.9 million visitors.