[القاهرة] The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population has launched the first electronic national platform for the treatment of mental illness and addiction in Egypt.

Launched, under the Ministry Walkway It is a local initiative that was announced on March 16 to provide its services free of charge to all Egyptians and non-Egyptians living in Egypt.

In this regard, the General Secretariat for Mental and Addiction Treatment, the National Center for Health and Demographic Information at the Ministry, and the World Health Organization, in collaboration with the donor and financier, the University of British Columbia, collaborated to establish the platform. A consulting participant in the development of training for e-psychiatric strategy and therapists in Canada.

The initiative and thirteenth General Program of the World Health Organization is consistent on the basis of “ensuring a healthy life and well-being for all ages”, which can only be achieved through global health care for all without discrimination.

Mental health is an integral part of the WHO’s definition of health, and it is the state of overall physical, mental and social well-being.

The site’s services include psychological counseling sessions by virtual clinics that use the concept of telemedicine and psychological support with specialists.

The site provides awareness services and educational content by providing scientific information on general psychiatry and its specialized disciplines such as pediatric, adolescent and geriatric psychiatry and addiction.

The site deals with the symptoms of psychological distress faced by patients and their families, as well as ways to deal with them. Locations of secretariats, specialized clinics and awareness campaigns and their dates.

The initiative came within the framework of making mental health services available to all, especially on the one hand inequality between human and financial resources and on the other hand the growing need for mental health services and drugs.

The main challenge in providing mental health services in remote areas and villages is the difficulty in accessing them, and digital psychology provides an opportunity to deal with those suffering from psychological problems and addictions in these areas.

The use of electronic services (digitization) also contributes to obtaining high-quality, confidential and confidential counseling and psychological support.

According to Ihab El-Kharrat, a psychiatrist and consultant at the Independent Center for Mental and Addiction Treatment in Wadi El Nadrun, Egypt, “This site is a very good and commendable step.

Al-Qaeda tells the network SciDev.Net“Scientific evidence strongly suggests that face-to-face interviews with psychotherapists over the Internet are equivalent to the results of traditional psychotherapy, especially through cognitive-behavioral therapy.” Study Released in 2020.

“The main challenge in providing mental health services in Egypt is the barriers and difficulties in providing non-medical mental health services.”

As al-Qarat condemns, “everyone who provides services on the site represents an image similar to that of psychiatrists. In other countries, psychotherapy and counseling are often provided by psychiatrists with no medical background.”

Good training, experience or skill may not be available to the physician in the field of psychology, but he is allowed to practice it with or without supervision. Therefore, al-Qaradh comments: “Great difficulties are placed before art graduates. Psychology departments or psychological counseling, or internationally recognized trainees. In these areas or in the field of addiction counseling. “

But the launch of the site is motivating to consider the lack of a clear mechanism for licensing addictive professionals and consultants; In the absence of a mechanism for licensing community rehabilitation centers and treating them as medical rehabilitation centers, in addition to the “exaggerated” requirements for establishing medical centers, their uniqueness and quality of services cannot be taken into account. காரத்.

This article was prepared by SciDev.Net Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa