Wael Al-Hadary
Dr. Mostafa Abdel-Khalek, President of Sohag University, participated in the activities of the first conference in Upper Egypt entitled “A Conscious Society to Discuss the Phenomenon of Addiction and its Danger to Mental Health”, which was organized by the National Council for Mental Health and the Regional Council for Mental Health, in cooperation with the Specialized Center for Psychiatry and Addiction Treatment in Sohag. And that took place at the Leadership Development Center of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the governorate, in the presence of Dr. Ahmed Aziz, the former president of the university, Dr. Manal Al-Attar, head of the Central Department of the Technical Secretariat of the National Council for Mental Health, Dr. Maged Azmy, Director General of the Regional Council for Mental Health, and a group of leaders and members of the House of Representatives, and representatives of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif. And the church, and a group of officials of civil society institutions.
In his speech, Dr. Mostafa Abdel-Khalek gave his thanks for his invitation to attend the activities of the conference, extending similar thanks on behalf of the university to everyone who contributed to the implementation and organization of this conference, which discussed a thorny societal issue that negatively affects development plans, stressing that the state pays great attention With regard to the phenomenon of addiction, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi directed the President of the Republic to intensify social protection and awareness programs to protect young people from the harms of drugs, while providing treatment services for addiction patients free of charge and in complete confidentiality in accordance with international standards, and this reflects the extent of the political leadership’s interest in developing the human element, and raising the level of individuals to exploit Their energies and capabilities in building the country, and contributing to achieving the goals of Egypt’s Vision 2030.
Abdel-Khaleq added that the university, as an ancient educational institution, plays an essential role in community service, as it sets its sights on combating the phenomenon of addiction, especially among the university’s youth. Therefore, it implements many awareness programs and educational seminars to spread awareness among students of the seriousness of addiction, and the need for early detection. To the patient and persuade him to quit this destructive habit, pointing out that a joint cooperation agreement was signed with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, headed by Dr. In addition to providing support and care after recovery to qualify them to reintegrate into society, to be effective, productive and contributing elements in serving the nation.
During his speech, the president of the university called on all parties, civil society organizations, officials and those concerned in this regard to quickly unite and move to confront this phenomenon, especially in the Sohag governorate, which ranked first at the level of the governorates of the Republic in terms of abuse rates, so efforts must be intensified and goals unified to reach the day when we announce Sohag Addiction-free, adding that at the end of the conference, a number of recovery heroes were honored who challenged themselves and applied with their full will for addiction treatment within the specialized center for psychiatry and addiction treatment in Sohag.
It is worth noting that the conference was attended by Dr. Naglaa Mahjoub, a member of the House of Representatives in Qena Governorate, Sheikh Ali Tayfour, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Religious Endowments, Rev. Imad Shawky, pastor of the Evangelical Church, Dr. George Azouz, Director of the Specialized Center for Psychiatry and Addiction Treatment in Sohag, and Jehan Ali Rabie, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Economic Council. For women, Dr. Rasha Hamid, an expert in the Family Court, Sahar Fayyad, President of the Egyptian Association for the Advancement of Women and Children, and Awatef Gaber, President of Heya Foundation for Development and Family Development.
