Egypt to launch new public health initiative soon

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Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, met on Monday to discuss the plan and phases of a new health initiative, which will be launched shortly, as part of achieving health integration on the physical and mental levels.

Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, said that the minister saw a presentation on the main aspects of the new initiative, which has mental health as one of its core pillars.

The meeting was also attended by Mohamed Hassani, Assistant Minister of Health and Population for Public Health Initiatives, Menen Abdel-Maqsoud, Secretary-General of the General Secretariat of Mental Health, and Souad Abdel-Majeed, Head of the Health Care and Nursing Sector.

Abdel Ghaffar explained that the new initiative consists of three sub-initiatives, one for early detection of autism spectrum disorders, one to fight excessive use of the internet and electronic games, and one to prevent and treat addiction.

The ministry’s official spokesperson disclosed that the procedure for the initiative for early detection and intervention of autism spectrum disorders aims to screen children at vaccination appointments at the age of 18 months and offer guidance for follow-up and prevention. He also mentioned the addition of a new service on the National Mental Health Platform, which aims to assess children remotely from 6 months to 2 and a half years old.

Abdel Ghaffar said that the minister heard about the work of the initiative to fight excessive use of the internet and electronic games, which is based on early detection and prevention services, and targets adolescents from 10 to 18 years old, and young adults from 18 to 25 years old.

He added that the minister learned about the themes and work mechanism of the Addiction Control and Treatment Initiative, which targets teenagers in middle and high schools, as they are the most vulnerable group.