In Egypt, the major health care provider in government sector is theministry of health and
population , which runs a nationwide system of health services, ranging from
outpatient clinics to large urban-based hospitals, and providing a mix of inpatient
and outpatient care. These services are administered on a decentralized basis, with
most service facilities run by Egypt’s governorates, which are the major sub-national
governmental authorities in Egypt (Rannan-Eliya et al., 2000). There are other health
facilities and hospitals that are affiliated to other different ministries such as defense,
transport, aviation, electricity, interior, and university medical teaching hospitals. These
type of health facilities either offer free curative services or charge a certain fixed fee to
those who can afford it. Government-owned hospitals are the only choice available to
low-income groupswho constitute the majority of Egypt’s population. These hospitals are
however, hampered by the huge demand and the government’s failure to keep up with
escalating costs, financial constraint, inefficient use of available resources and ineffective
management (Rannan-Eliya et al., 2000; World health organization, 2009).