Egypt to launch Africa's first virtual hospital

Egypt is set to launch Africa's first virtual hospital in Ismailia, a landmark project that will connect healthcare facilities across the North African country.

The virtual hospital, which is expected to expand access to quality healthcare across the country, will also enable specialists to remotely review diagnostic tests and medical images, provide expert consultations and support treatment decisions without requiring patients to travel.

Ahmed El-Sobky, chairman of the general authority for healthcare, noted that the facility will also offer remote intensive care services, artificial intelligence-assisted medical triage, virtual specialty clinics and a digital platform for monitoring patients with chronic diseases through real-time tracking of vital signs.

"It will also support multidisciplinary case discussions, telemedicine consultations for critically ill patients and training for healthcare professionals using digital technologies," he said during an inspection tour of the facility last week, to review its readiness ahead of its opening.

According to the General Authority for Healthcare, the facility based in Suez Canal city will include 119 digital and operational units, comprising 32 electronic triage units, 27 telecardiology units, 12 digital radiology and teleradiology units, 26 command-and-control centers, nine virtual outpatient clinics, seven remote emergency units, four virtual intensive care units and specialized information technology units.

The healthcare authority will also launch an international training program that will place Egyptian doctors at leading specialized medical centers around the world, helping to address shortages of highly specialized physicians while reducing the cost of deploying consultants to remote regions.

Compared to conventional hospital, a virtual hospital does not primarily admit patients into physical wards but serves as a central digital hub that connects hospitals and healthcare facilities through secure telecommunications and information technology systems.

The initiative builds on Egypt's broader healthcare reform efforts and supports the country's drive toward digital transformation and universal health coverage.

In recent years, Egypt has been reforming its healthcare system, with the most notable example being its Universal Health Insurance Law No 2 of 2018, which represents the country's most significant healthcare reform in decades.

The program aims to replace a fragmented insurance system that previously covered fewer than 60 percent of the population with a mandatory national scheme financed through payroll contributions, government subsidies and tobacco taxes. First launched in Port Said in 2019, the scheme has since expanded to six governorates.