Egypt is Preparation To launch the first virtual hospital in Africa in Ismailia, where Ahmed Al-Sabki, Chairman of the General Authority for Health Care, inspected the facility on Wednesday, July 15, to review its readiness before its opening.
The virtual hospital will connect hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide through a digital network, allowing specialist doctors to provide remote consultations, review diagnostic tests and medical imaging, and support treatment decisions without the need for patients to travel.
The hospital will also offer remote intensive care, artificial intelligence-assisted medical triage, virtual specialty clinics, and a digital platform to monitor patients with chronic diseases by tracking vital signs remotely. It will also support multidisciplinary case discussions, telemedicine consultations for critically ill patients, and training of healthcare professionals using digital technologies.
According to the Public Health Care Authority, the facility includes nine virtual outpatient clinics, four remote intensive care units, 12 radiology units, and 27 cardiology units that are digitally connected, providing national support for remote diagnosis and treatment.
This initiative is also expected to help address the shortage of specialist doctors and reduce costs associated with deploying consultants in remote areas.
Egypt has reformed its healthcare system in recent years. The most prominent example of this is Egypt’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Law No. 2 of 2018, which represents The country’s most significant health care reform in decades. The program aims to replace the fragmented insurance system that previously covered less than 60% of the population with a mandatory national system financed through salary contributions, government subsidies, and tobacco taxes.
The program was first launched in Port Said in 2019, and has since expanded to include six governorates, including Port Said, Ismailia, Luxor, Suez, South Sinai, and Aswan. As of early 2025, the first phase has covered about 5.1 million people, supported by investments worth 28.5 billion Egyptian pounds ($560 million) to develop healthcare facilities and expand the medical workforce.