Egypt and Australia expand healthcare cooperation and green initiatives

EGYPT – The Egypt Healthcare Authority (EHA) is spearheading a strategic push to strengthen bilateral healthcare collaboration with Australia, a move that underscores both nations’ commitment to advancing public health and environmental sustainability.

Chairperson of the EHA, Ahmed El-Sobky, met with Australian Ambassador to Egypt Axel Wabenhorst to discuss expanding cooperation across various healthcare fields, with a key focus on knowledge exchange, medical training, and sustainable health practices.

At the meeting, both parties explored launching a proposed twinning program between Sydney Children’s Hospital and Ramsey Health Care Group in Australia and El-Nasr Specialized Children’s Hospital in Port Said.

Along with similar initiatives involving other pediatric units within the EHA network, this program is designed to advance pediatric care in Egypt through robust knowledge transfer and joint training programs, ensuring the adoption of global best practices in subspecialties.

These collaborative efforts are intended to enhance the capacity of Egyptian healthcare providers and improve patient care outcomes across the region.

El-Sobky also outlined the EHA’s ambitious strategy for sustainability and green transformation during the discussions.

He highlighted the notable achievements of Sharm El-Sheikh International Hospital and Port Said Specialized Ophthalmology Hospital, both of which have received international accolades from the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH) network.

These recognitions affirm Egypt’s commitment to integrating environmental sustainability into its health system, underscoring the dual aim of improving healthcare delivery while promoting ecological responsibility.

El-Sobky expressed a keen interest in partnering with Australia on sustainable healthcare initiatives, emphasizing the value of sharing expertise to further drive the nation’s green strategy.

The dialogue also covered several additional areas of cooperation, including the potential to expand medical tourism, collaborate on joint research into clinical care quality indicators, and establish advanced training programs for healthcare providers.

Exchange visits for medical delegations to Australia were proposed as a means to facilitate direct knowledge sharing and foster deeper international collaboration.

The discussions even touched on leveraging emerging technological innovations to enhance patient care and optimize facility management, reflecting a broader commitment to digital transformation in healthcare.

El-Sobky underscored Egypt’s potential as a promising market for healthcare investment, extending an invitation to Ambassador Wabenhorst to visit the Suez Medical Complex, one of the EHA’s flagship facilities in the Canal Governorates.

In response, Ambassador Wabenhorst praised Egypt’s significant strides in the health sector, describing them as a “qualitative leap.”

He reiterated Australia’s strong commitment to supporting ongoing and future health partnerships, emphasizing that deeper collaboration and strategic knowledge-sharing between the two countries would help address common challenges in healthcare provision and sustainability.