18 May 2022 – Egypt officially launched a freely accessible mental health and addiction treatment electronic platform on 16 March 2022. Development of the platform was the result of collaboration between the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, the General Secretariat of Mental Health and Addiction Treatment, the WHO country office in Egypt and the Canada-based British Columbia University.
The electronic platform offers free online counselling and psychoeducational virtual services for mental health and addiction treatment for everyone living in Egypt, including refugees and migrants.
The platform aims to make mental health services provided by a health team of experts, accessible and available to everyone without discrimination and to bridge the gap between available human and financial resources for mental health care in Egypt and the growing demand for those services.
Demand for services has been increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic with studies showing that in the first year of the pandemic, depression and anxiety rates increased by 25% with the highest rates in countries most affected by the pandemic.
Digitalization of mental health services will help provide a safe, convenient, and confidential environment for treatment and help significantly address the stigma associated with mental health.
“There is no health without mental health. Mental health and well-being are core elements in the World Health Organization's definition of health. Good mental health enables people to realize their potential, and to deal with the normal stressors of life. I am very proud that currently we have a free, easy, and user-friendly platform in Egypt that will help everyone have access to mental health services without discrimination or stigma,” said Dr Naeema Al Gasseer, WHO Representative in Egypt.