Why emergency medical services in Egypt demand immediate reform
Picture this: you are standing in the heart of Cairo when someone nearby suddenly collapses from a heart attack. You dial for an ambulance, but it takes far too long to arrive. When it finally does, the medical team lacks a defibrillator. At the hospital, you are met with long queues and no clear system to prioritize the most urgent cases.
This is not just a grim hypothetical—it is the harsh reality many Egyptians face every day.
Emergency medical services (EMS) in Egypt are in crisis, affecting lives across the country, from urban centers to remote rural communities. Let us break down the core issues to understand why reforming this system is not just important—it is a matter of life and death.
1. A Dire Shortage of Emergency Specialists
Many hospitals lack trained emergency physicians and nurses. Most emergency departments are staffed by general practitioners who may not be equipped to handle severe trauma cases or life-threatening strokes.
In rural areas, the situation is even more alarming—emergency care may be entirely absent.
2. Hospitals Without Life-Saving Tools
How can doctors save lives without the tools they need? Many facilities are missing essential equipment, such as:
- Ventilators for patients unable to breathe
- Defibrillators for cardiac arrest
- CT scanners to detect internal injuries
Even ambulances are often poorly equipped—like sending a firefighter to battle flames without a hose.
3. Delayed Emergency Response
In a densely populated city like Cairo, traffic is a daily struggle. But in emergencies, it becomes a deadly obstacle.
Ambulances get stuck in traffic, and GPS systems are frequently unreliable. Each minute lost can cost a life.
4. Emergency Care Few Can Afford
Reaching the hospital is just the beginning. For many, the next barrier is financial.
Private hospitals offer quality care but at prohibitive costs. Public hospitals are more affordable but are chronically overcrowded and underfunded. With most Egyptians paying healthcare costs out of pocket, emergency care becomes a privilege rather than a right.
5. No Triage System in Place
In some hospitals, patients are treated on a first-come, first-served basis rather than according to medical urgency.
As a result, someone with a fractured arm may be treated before someone experiencing a heart attack. This lack of triage can have fatal consequences.
6. Burnout Among Medical Staff
Doctors and nurses are everyday heroes—but they are human, too. Many in Egypt are overworked, underpaid, and eventually leave the country in search of better opportunities.
Emergency departments remain short-staffed, and those who stay are stretched thin, affecting the quality of care for everyone.
7.No National Emergency Framework
In countries like the United States, dialing 911 triggers a swift and coordinated response. In Egypt, the number is 123—but not everyone knows that. Some regions have no ambulance service at all.
There is also no unified national system that connects ambulances, hospitals, and clinics. It is like trying to run a team with no coach.
8. A Stark Divide Between Public and Private Care
Private hospitals in Egypt are clean, well-equipped, and efficient—but accessible only to the wealthy. Public hospitals strive to serve the majority, yet they are overwhelmed and under-resourced.
This inequity makes survival in an emergency largely dependent on one’s financial status—an unjust and dangerous reality.
9. No Data, No Direction
You cannot fix what you cannot measure. Egypt lacks a robust system for tracking emergency healthcare performance.
We need to know how many patients are treated, how quickly ambulances respond, and how hospitals perform. Without this data, reform efforts are like flying blind.
10. Reforms That Crawl Forward
Egypt has launched the Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS)—an ambitious initiative to provide comprehensive healthcare coverage.
However, progress has been slow. Many emergency care issues remain unaddressed, mired in corruption and bureaucratic inertia.
So, What Needs to Change?
Egypt urgently needs:
- More trained emergency professionals
- Modern, fully equipped hospitals
- Faster and more reliable ambulance services
- Affordable emergency care for all citizens
- A unified and efficient national EMS framework
Emergency care is not a luxury—it is a fundamental human right. In every second, there is life. In every timely response, there is hope.
Sources
1. Access to emergency care in Egypt: Tiered health care and manifestations of inequity
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953623005695
2. Emergency medicine in Egypt: Current situation and future prospectshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211419X13001766