The 25th meeting of the National Council for Mental Health (NCMH) drew up mechanisms to implement a presidential initiative to support mental health, said Egypt’s Health and Population Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar.
The meeting also probed setting a strategy aiming to disseminate the culture of mental health among all segments of the society, he added during presiding over the Council’s 25th edition.
The meeting further discussed a plan to expand establishments of mental health and adopt a future vision to improve the condition of psychiatric patients, added the minister, who doubles as head of the NCMH.
The political leadership gives top priority to the mental health file, he said.
The minister, meanwhile, stressed the importance of intensifying programs and awareness campaigns in schools and universities.
For his part, Health Ministry Spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said that the minister underlined the importance of mental health as a main factor for advancing societies.
The minister of health gave directors to hold all necessary studies to stand on the reasons behind the spread of anxiety and depression, added the spokesman.
He was also briefed on the health map of Egypt’s governorates, said the spokesman, noting that the number of mental health establishments stands at 179 private and state-owned establishments.
