GEM lit in blue marking Autism Day
CAIRO - 3 April 2023: The Grand Egyptian Museum lit up in blue on Monday, marking the World Autism Awareness Day.
The museum's official pages on social media stated, "The museum is proud to show its support and raise awareness for this important cause. As an institution concerned with equality, we believe it is necessary to emphasize the importance of human rights for all."
The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population celebrated the World Autism Awareness Day in all hospitals of the General Secretariat for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment at the level of the governorates of the Republic.
Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Population, indicated that the celebration activities began on the first of April, and will continue throughout the month, by lighting 21 hospitals and mental health centers in 15 governorates in blue, in addition to working to raise public awareness of autism and the services provided for patients with autism.
Abdel Ghaffar explained that, according to the directives of Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population, the ministry seeks to include centers of excellence for the treatment of autism spectrum within its plan, and it is planned to establish 20 centers in the governorates of the Republic within 5 years.
For her part, Dr. Menan Abdel Maqsoud, Secretary General of the General Secretariat for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment, confirmed the secretariat’s endeavor to increase specialized services in clinics and specialized day care centers, as the units of the General Secretariat received during the year 2022 more than 2,000 visits from patients with autism spectrum disorder, who were receiving treatment. In hospitals and day care centers affiliated to the Municipality.
Menan referred to the development of the icons of the national platform for mental health, by adding the icon “Check on your son”, through which parents can conduct questionnaires to follow up the child’s psychological and social development, as well as the possibility of him having autism spectrum disorder, which helps in early detection of the disease, with the aim of Improving the situation and integrating it into society.
Menan noted that the primary health care program for autism spectrum aims this year to raise awareness for service providers, through training courses that targeted the governorates of (Damietta, Fayoum, Qalyubia, Menoufia, Cairo, Kafr El-Sheikh, Dakahlia, Beni Suef, New Valley, and the Red Sea).
Comments
Leave a Comment