The Minister of Health launches the presidential initiative "Your health is happiness" To support mental health
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population, launched the presidential initiative to support mental health, “Your Health is Happiness.” The launch of this initiative comes within the framework of the great interest that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi attaches to the public health of citizens, and the Egyptian state’s keenness to Supporting mental health, as an essential part of achieving comprehensive development and societal stability.
This came during an event held at the Abdeen Palace Museum, in the presence of Dr. Maya Morsi, Minister of Social Solidarity, along with ambassadors of countries, Turkey, and Venezuela. , Malta, the Philippines, France, Niger, the United States of America, and Romania, and an elite group of officials in the field of health care, and representatives from the relevant bodies.
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said that the initiative includes several basic axes aimed at Meeting the needs of different categories of citizens, including early detection and intervention of autism spectrum disorder, to enable children and their families to obtain early diagnosis and necessary care. The Ministry is also working with the United States on MRI analysis for early screening and diagnosis of autism in Egypt. It also includes several other axes, including combating It treats addiction in all its forms, including addiction to narcotic substances and electronic games, and provides psychological support to pregnant women, patients with chronic diseases, tumor patients, and the elderly. The initiative also covers detection of depression and ways to treat it. p>
The Minister added that the initiative provides a referral system for specialized care for advanced cases, implements early intervention programs to support children with autism spectrum disorders, and ensures continuous follow-up of cases to ensure continuity of care and improve the quality of life.
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar indicated that the Ministry of Health and Population has taken practical steps where there is 22 health centers in Cairo Governorate have already been trained on the axes of this initiative within the first phase, and we will move to the second phase, which includes specialized training on referral to advanced care, in accordance with a special World Health Organization training program aimed at enhancing the skills of caregivers in providing care. Support for families of children who suffer from developmental disorders or delayed development.
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar explained that integrating mental health services within primary health care centers contributes significantly to achieving prevention. And early treatment, and reduces the pressure on specialized hospitals and citizens, ensuring that individuals have access to support and treatment at an early stage that enhances their quality of life, as well as through the electronic platform for mental health, in addition to including mental health services under the umbrella of comprehensive health insurance, and the Ministry’s keenness to permanently expand Mental health services, by providing a specialized hospital in all governorates of the Republic, pointing to the President of the Republic’s approval of the establishment of a large medical complex to combat mental illness and addiction in the El Alamein region.
Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the spokesman, explained The official statement of the Ministry of Health and Population stated that the minister indicated that the objectives of the “Your Health is Happiness” initiative It is based on Egypt’s Vision 2030, which seeks to improve the quality of life of the Egyptian citizen and improve his standard of living in various aspects of life, as the main axis of Egypt’s vision is for all Egyptians to enjoy a healthy, safe and secure life through an integrated health care system available to all, high quality and comprehensive, capable of improving Health conditions through early intervention, preventive coverage, ensuring protection for vulnerable groups, and achieving the satisfaction of citizens and workers in the health sector, which leads to prosperity, well-being, happiness, and social and economic development, and qualifies Egypt to become a leader in the field of health care services and research in the Arab world and Africa.
"Abdul Ghaffar" On the sidelines of the activities celebrating the launch of the Presidential Initiative for Mental Health, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population, witnessed a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Health and Population and a drug company, to support the Presidential Initiative for Mental Health, as the protocol aims to provide support to the Egyptian government and health institutions. Specializing in providing innovative solutions to enhance mental health, develop the services provided, and create appropriate conditions to achieve goals in line with the future vision of both parties, in accordance with international and local standards, and raise community awareness.
And in her speech. Dr. Maya Morsi, Minister of Social Solidarity, expressed her honor to participate in this important event, which comes in direct response to the vision of the President of the Republic to enhance the well-being of Egyptians at all stages of their lives and embodies the state’s commitment to achieving psychological and social safety for all its citizens, and to confirm that the Egyptian state keeps pace in its social and development policies. Latest international trends; The latest World Health Organization report issued under the title “Transforming mental health for the benefit of all” It is noted in the fourth chapter that there are three reasons for investing in mental health, which are public health, human rights, and social and economic development.
The Minister of Social Solidarity thanked Dr. Manen Abdel Maqsoud, Secretary-General. To the General Secretariat of Mental Health and Addiction Treatment for all the efforts it is making, stressing that the Ministry of Social Solidarity works in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Population to provide comprehensive services, and the work approach is based on a firm belief that supporting individuals’ mental health begins with the family, and gives special importance to building a family. Cohesive and stable, as the family is considered the primary custodial family for the child, and the primary source of stability and psychological support for its members. The husband, wife, and children each form part of an integrated circle, in which the feelings and mental health of each individual are affected and interacted, making family ties and relationships between individuals an essential basis for mental health.
The Minister of Social Solidarity explained that, in order to strengthen family cohesion and build a more stable society, the national program was launched to preserve the Egyptian family, “Mawaddah.” In 2019, under the generous patronage of the President of the Republic, this program represents a strategic investment in building stable and happy societies, and aims to empower those about to get married and develop their life skills to build marital relationships based on understanding and security, and provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary to build strong and stable families, and the program has succeeded. Over the past five years, it has reached nearly 1.2 million beneficiaries, while its digital platform has attracted about 5 million users, and recently, it launched “Mawaddah” A new service on its digital platform to provide free family consultations, entitled “Ask Mawaddah,” to be a beacon that guides families and helps them overcome obstacles and difficulties, which contributes to improving the mental health of each of its members, and increases the feeling of happiness and satisfaction with life. The platform received 10,860 consultations. Since its launch in February 2024.
Dr. Islam Anan, CEO of Research Company, stated that this initiative is an embodiment of the state’s keenness to support the mental health of the Egyptian citizen and improve the mental health of citizens in general. As mental health plays an important role in preventing many diseases, as more than 1.1 billion people around the world suffer from psychological disorders or addiction, however, 80% of these do not seek appropriate treatment, as statistics indicate that The global economic burden associated with mental health reaches $5 trillion. As for Egypt, the economic burden of mental disorders has been estimated at between 4 and 12 billion dollars annually, which negatively affects productivity and economic growth, which called on Egypt to pay attention to the quality of life of the Egyptian citizen and not just treatment and prevention of diseases. 66 billion Egyptian pounds have been saved from During the public health initiatives launched by the country, with 115.6 million visits to public health initiatives.
Dr. Ayman Mukhtar, the company’s regional president in the Middle East, North Africa and Eurasia region, said, “We are working on Promoting comprehensive health care through strategic partnerships to provide innovative solutions to manage noncommunicable diseases and mitigate their effects.
At the conclusion of the event, Dr. Muhammad Sweilem, President of the company, confirmed that this agreement represents An important step towards improving psychological care in Egypt, expressing the importance of investing in this sector to enhance individuals’ health and achieve psychological balance, which contributes to building healthier and happier societies.
