Health and Population Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar discussed expanding the use of economic and social research in health policymaking with Germany’s WifOR Institute, focusing on how improved health outcomes affect productivity, labour-force participation and human-capital development.
The talks took place on the sidelines of the World Health Summit in Berlin and reviewed co-operation between the Ministry of Health and Population, WifOR and Roche, according to a ministry statement.
Ministry spokesperson Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said the meeting examined progress on Egypt’s “Societal Value of Health” initiative and the findings of two studies assessing the broader social and economic impact of treatments for breast cancer and diabetic retinopathy.
The studies examine benefits extending beyond direct health outcomes, including patients’ ability to remain in or return to work, improvements in productivity, and reductions in the social and economic burdens associated with disease.
The discussions also covered the potential to extend the research to other national health priorities and assess how improvements in population health and the healthcare sector contribute to economic and social development.
Both sides discussed research methodologies, data requirements and ways to strengthen co-ordination among relevant institutions to increase the use of scientific evidence in health policymaking and decision-making.
The ministry said the discussions also addressed the development of a research framework to assess the impact of national health priorities and link healthcare investment to indicators such as quality of life, productivity and human-capital development.