The government is following up on the telemedicine (remote medical diagnosis) initiative in which patients are diagnosed by physicians at any time and place with the assistance of a series of technological applications and gadgets
The initiative provides medical consultations on telemedicine applications in coordination between the ministries of health, higher education, and communication.
The move is part of the country’s strategy towards digital transformation and automating services.
Patients can consult doctors at any time and place through the applications in the presence of a mediator/physician at an equipped medical diagnosis unit, Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, the health minister, said.
Earlier today, Abdel-Ghaffar held an online meeting with Ayman Ashour, the higher education minister, and Amr Talaat, the communication minister, to follow up on the initiative, according to a cabinet statement.
Egypt started the first phase of the distance diagnosis initiative in September 2021, with the capacity of 150 medical units. The country plans to establish a total of 300 units nationwide, the statement pointed out.
Ashour said the university hospital system, with its 120 university hospitals nationwide, is taking part in the initiative, noting that his ministry is also cooperating with the communication ministry to e-link all university hospitals together to automate their medical services.
The initiative will contribute to improving the quality of healthcare services, especially in remote areas, capitalising on technological solutions in treatment that will save the patients in these areas the inconvenience of travel to major hospitals, the higher education minister added.
The health minister called for intensifying the training programmes for all the medical staff working at the newly established units.
As part of the digital transformation strategy, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated in July the Digital Egypt Platform, which comprises over 130 government-related e-services.