675K patients received psychiatric services in 2017: Health Ministry

CAIRO - 4 February 2018: Psychological health services were offered to 675,000 patients at psychiatric and addiction clinics at hospitals of the Ministry of Health and Population in 2017, according to the ministry on Sunday.

Some 527,000 adult patients, 39,000 children and 22,000 adolescents were received at psychiatric clinics, Head of the Ministry's Psychological Health and Addiction Therapy Dr Menan Abdel Maqsoud said.

The increased number of patients receiving treatment at these clinics is due to the increased awareness among people of the psychiatric diseases, she said.

Seventy training courses were offered to medical teams on rehabilitation of psychiatric patients and addiction treatment to promote psychiatric health services offered by the ministry, she added.

The ministry's hotline for psychological counseling (08008880700- 0220816831) received 830 phone calls, she said, pointing out that the service covers the entire country and provides confidential counseling.