EGYPT – The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has introduced the first free of charge national electronic platform in Egypt for mental health services and addiction treatment.
The digital platform features a cooperation between the General Secretariat for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment, the National Information Center at the MoHP, World Health Organization and the University of British Columbia in Canada.
The mental health platform is divided into three main sections where the first part provides educational and awareness content to users by providing important scientific information about common disorders in general psychiatry and its specialized branches
The second section provides psychological support and counseling services through virtual telemedicine clinics using a few simple steps that enable users to assess their psychological state through a general mental health questionnaire.
It also allows the therapist to transfer emergency cases to the hotline of the General Secretariat of Mental Health and Addiction Treatment for speedy immediate intervention.
Finally, the third section is for the site’s supervisors and administrators to monitor and evaluate the platform’s performance in an effort to reduce the burden of mental disorders.
It compiles the most important reports on the portal’s statistics such as the number of users, their age, follow-up rate, most visited specialties and other crucial data.
The mental health platform provides therapeutic services to the psychiatric patient and his relatives in their places of residence through psychological consultations with qualified therapists without burdening them.
The platform aims to expand the provision of mental health services and drug addiction treatment by making it available and accessible for Egyptian and non-Egyptians of all age groups that reside in Egypt.
The use of electronic services in the field of mental health will greatly contribute to obtaining high-quality counseling and psychological support with privacy and complete confidentiality.
The digital technologies used seeks to address the stigma related to mental disorders in society, correcting misconceptions and providing sound information for all individuals.
In addition, the platform features symptoms and mechanisms of dealing with psychological crises facing patients and their families as it allows the user to book a session with qualified psychotherapists in complete privacy and confidentiality of users’ data.
For instance, it displays the services available at the General Secretariat for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment such as introducing the hospitals and centres affiliated with the secretariat, locations and appointments of specialized clinics and awareness campaigns.
It is also staffed by a group of experts from the MoHP, psychotherapists, and international experts in the field of psychiatry and addiction treatment who provide free government services for mental health and addiction treatment.
Oral and Dental Health initiative kicks off in governorates
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population has launched the Oral and Dental Health Initiative pilot phase in six governorates aimed at detecting and treating oral and gum diseases free of charge.
A medical team consisting of a doctor, a nurse and a data entry person is provided in all the initial units of the initiative to record patients’ data and health status as well as link them to an integrated and electronically interconnected database with referral hospitals.
The pilot phase was initiated in the governorates of Cairo, Giza, Gharbeya, Alexandria, Qaliubiya and Menoufiya by applying the referral system to examine and treat oral and gum diseases for all age groups in line with the latest treatment protocols.
Preliminary examination and detection services are also provided in health units or through mobile dental caravans and patients are referred to hospitals in case they need advanced medical interventions.
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