The Chifa card and chronic illness: your right to 100% coverage

At the same pharmacy counter, one patient pays for their medicines while their neighbour walks out without spending a dinar. The difference usually comes down to three things: an up-to-date Chifa card, a contracted pharmacy, and — for chronic patients — an approved 100% coverage file. Here is how the system works, based on the official CNAS rules.

The list of 26 conditions covered at 100%

Algeria's social security reimburses care at 100% for a list of 26 conditions published by CNAS. It notably includes diabetes (under metabolic diseases), cancers, tuberculosis, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chronic respiratory failure, cirrhosis and cardiovascular diseases. An important and often misunderstood point: high blood pressure appears only in its malignant form; hypertension with complications falls under the cardiovascular heading instead. Your doctor, together with the fund's medical adviser, determines which category your situation belongs to.

Third-party payment with the Chifa card at the pharmacy

The Chifa card enables third-party payment — no money up front — in contracted pharmacies in every wilaya, whatever your home agency. Under the rules published by CNAS, it covers, for active insured members, prescriptions up to 5,000 DA, limited to the first two prescriptions per beneficiary over a rolling three-month period. Two major exceptions: chronic patients, whose prescriptions related to their condition are covered with no amount cap and no limit on number, and retirees and insured members aged 75 and over, who are exempt from these limits for all their prescriptions.

Building your chronic illness file

100% coverage is not automatic: it requires a medical file prepared with your family doctor or specialist, filed with your paying centre, then approved by the medical adviser. Self-employed workers (traders, professionals, farmers) follow the same principle with CASNOS. Since the exact paperwork can vary, the safest move is to check with your agency before filing.

Lost, blocked or outdated card

If the card is lost or damaged, a duplicate can be requested at your CNAS centre for 400 DA. Good news for deactivated cards: reactivation can now be done directly at the pharmacy through the Chifa reader, as Algérie 360 explains. Also remember to register your dependants (spouse, children, students) so they benefit from the card.

Following your illness day to day

Reimbursement is only half the journey: a chronic illness is controlled through regular medical follow-up. Declare a contracted family doctor, keep your check-up appointments — a general practitioner, a diabetes specialist or a cardiologist depending on your situation — and never let a treatment lapse for lack of a renewal. Our guide to living with diabetes in Algeria covers the most common example.