How does a primary care clinic get GAHAR accreditation in Egypt?

A licensed primary care facility that has operated for at least six months registers on GAHAR's portal, complies with the 2025 handbook for at least four months, and is surveyed against it. GAHAR decides within 30 working days of the visit, the facility has 15 days to appeal, and full accreditation lasts three years.

Who can apply, and when

The GAHAR Handbook for Primary Healthcare Accreditation Standards 2025 applies to primary care organisations as whole organisations, centres or units, and names private facilities, Ministry of Health and Population facilities, syndicate and club facilities and charity facilities among them. Ambulatory care organisations, nursing homes and rehabilitation centres are outside it.¹ Before it can apply, a facility must comply with the licensure requirements the law sets and must have operated for at least six months, and it must then comply with the handbook for at least four months before the survey, the lookback period surveyors score.¹

Accreditation sits inside the Universal Health Insurance system. Law No. 2 of 2018 created GAHAR to set quality standards and to accredit and register the facilities that meet them, and Article 21 asks public and private family health centres to hold a GAHAR certificate and a contract with the insurance authority.² The Universal Health Insurance Authority lists registration or accreditation by GAHAR as the first condition for contracting.³

From application to certificate

1. Check the prerequisites. A current licence, six months of operation, and the 2025 handbook applied for at least four months.
2. Register on the portal. Create an account on eportal.gahar.gov.eg, choose the service and facility type, and complete the application data.
3. Upload and declare. Upload the required documents, then print the application, sign the declaration, seal it with the facility's seal and upload it again.
4. Pay the survey fee. GAHAR sets the fee and shares the bank details, and the facility pays into the Central Bank of Egypt account and emails the receipt.
5. Host the survey. Surveyors assess the facility against the handbook on an agreed date, through documents, interviews and tracers.
6. Receive the decision. The accreditation committee decides on the decision rules, and GAHAR informs the facility within 30 working days.
7. Appeal or accept. The facility has 15 days to appeal, after which the chairman of GAHAR approves the decision and the certificate is issued.

1. Facility ______ Governorate ______
2. Licence number ______ Operating since ______
3. Handbook applied from ______ Four months reached on ______
4. Portal account created on ______ Application issued on ______
5. Fee paid on ______ Receipt emailed on ______
6. Survey date ______ Decision due by ______
7. Accreditation lead ______

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What keeps accreditation in place

An accredited facility must tell GAHAR in writing at least one month before it adds or cancels a service or grows an existing one by more than 20%, must report every sentinel event within 48 hours with a root cause analysis inside 45 days, and must use GAHAR's certificate and logo without misleading anyone.¹ Accreditation can be suspended or withdrawn after a failed unannounced survey, a missed corrective action plan, data that does not match the facility at the visit, or a move or rebuild GAHAR was not told about.¹ Article 30 of the law makes accreditation certificates valid for three years, renewable.²

Questions

How long must a clinic operate before applying to GAHAR?

At least six months, and it must comply with the 2025 handbook for at least four months before the survey visit.

How fast does GAHAR decide after the survey?

GAHAR informs the facility within 30 working days of the end of the survey visit, and the facility then has 15 days to appeal.

Does the handbook cover private clinics?

The 2025 primary care handbook names private primary care facilities in its scope, and excludes ambulatory care organisations, nursing homes and rehabilitation centres.

Is GAHAR accreditation needed to work with Universal Health Insurance?

The Universal Health Insurance Authority lists registration or accreditation by GAHAR as the first condition for a provider to contract with it.

Sources

1. 1General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation (GAHAR), 2025GAHAR Handbook for Primary Healthcare Accreditation Standards, 2025, second editionRead source
2. 2Universal Health Insurance Authority (UHIA), 2018Law No. 2 of 2018 issuing the Universal Health Insurance System Law, Official Gazette issue 2 continued (b), 11 January 2018Read source
3. 3Universal Health Insurance Authority (UHIA), 2026Contracting procedures and conditions with the Universal Health Insurance AuthorityRead source

Written by the wai team from General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation guidance, checked on 16 October 2026. This is guidance, not legal advice. GAHAR does not endorse wai or any software.