Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, affirmed his full support for initiatives and programmes concerned with mental health and instilling a culture of recovery from mental disorders, and rehabilitation, which contributes to improving the quality of life of citizens and facing the changes that occur in societies.
This came during a meeting to follow up on the preparations for launching an initiative aimed at supporting the mental health of different age groups, as part of the state’s efforts to take care of the public health of citizens.
Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, said on Monday that the minister discussed during the meeting the axes and mechanisms of work in the initiative, which focus on the research axis, awareness axis, service axis in medical facilities, and services provided remotely.
Abdel Ghaffar explained that the minister addressed the mechanisms for updating work tools in the National Survey of Mental Disorders, drug abuse, disability, and the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the mental health of citizens, in addition to updating the map of treating addiction patients.
The minister stressed the importance of the research axis in proper planning of mental health services and analyzing the behaviours of individuals with mental disorders, the availability of psychological services, and the facilitation of integrating patients into society.
Moreover, the minister also stressed the importance of mental health education and awareness campaigns targeting different age groups, and their importance to the individual and society, to limit the spread of negative psychological phenomena, change citizens’ misconceptions and remove the stigma about mental illness.
The meeting also discussed the mechanisms of integrating mental health services within the medical care services provided to citizens.
During the meeting, the minister was briefed on the progress of work on mental health services and consultations provided remotely through hotlines, and the national electronic platform for mental health services and addiction treatment. The platform received 48,000 visitors within 5 months of its launch.
