MP Ahmed Farghaly announced that Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population, has approved the initiation of procedures to abolish the annual renewal and medical examination requirements before the Medical Commission for recipients of disability pensions who have incurable medical conditions, chronic diseases, and permanent disabilities. Beneficiaries will only be required to submit a family registration statement to complete the necessary procedures.
Farghaly explained that the approval came in response to a request he submitted to the Minister of Health to alleviate the suffering of people with such conditions. They had been facing delays of up to several months in receiving their pensions due to the procedures required for annual renewal and medical examinations, in addition to the hardship of traveling to medical examination committees given their health conditions.
The MP noted that the request applies to medical conditions that have been medically confirmed to be permanent and incurable, with no possibility of sufficient improvement to allow the person to return to work. These include blindness, post-brain and spinal cord tumor conditions resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia, post-stroke paralysis, and severe mental and psychological disabilities in cases deemed incurable, among other permanent conditions.
Farghaly stressed the need to reconsider the annual renewal system for chronic conditions that have been medically confirmed to be permanent and incurable, in order to reduce the burden on patients and their families of appearing before medical committees and undergoing repeated annual examinations.
The MP also called for a simplified mechanism allowing patients’ families or their legally authorized representatives to complete medical procedures, particularly in cases where the patient is unable to attend in person. He further called for the formation of a specialized committee to review cases and establish fair criteria distinguishing between conditions that may improve and chronic, permanent conditions for which recovery is not expected.
Ahmed Farghaly said the decision followed a meeting with Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population, followed by a coordination meeting with Dr. Peter Wagih, Assistant Minister for Curative Medicine Affairs, and Dr. Mohamed El-Akkad, Head of the Specialized Medical Councils.
He added that during the discussions, and following the Minister of Health’s directive to Dr. Peter Wagih to study the request, it was decided that beneficiaries with incurable medical conditions would no longer need to appear before the Medical Commission for annual renewal, medical examinations, and checkups. Instead, they would only need to submit a family registration statement.
Farghaly emphasized that this measure represents an important step toward easing the burden on patients and their families and eliminating repetitive procedures that are not appropriate for conditions medically confirmed to be incurable.
🖋️ Source: Al-Ahram portal
