Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar on Saturday 04/03/2023 inspected Cairo’s Abbasiya Mental Health Hospital to monitor services and an ongoing project to develop and improve the efficiency of its departments as part of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s initiative to focus on citizens’ mental health.

The mental health file is at the top of the list of work priorities, whether it is for establishing medical facilities or extending the services offered there, Abdel Ghaffar said during his inspection tour.

The minister conducted a thorough inspection tour of the 1,200-bed facility as one of Egypt’s largest mental health and addiction treatment hospitals, among 23 hospitals and centers nationwide, providing curative and preventive services, Spokesman for the Health Ministry Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said in a statement.

Under Sisi’s initiative to promote primary care units and centers, the minister focused on increasing mental health services and combining them with health units and medical facilities nationwide, the spokesman added.

Counselling and psychological rehabilitation services are accessible at adolescent-friendly and safe women’s clinics. They will be also offered at health units as part of the pre-marriage examination project, Abdel Ghaffar affirmed.

Mental health services and addiction treatment are available online via the national electronic platform for mental health (https://nmhp.mohp.gov.eg/mental/web/ar) and the General Secretariat for Mental Health’s hotlines, which are responsible for providing psychological consultations and responding to citizen inquiries, he added.

Source: State Information Service Egypt