Social Solidarity Minister and Chairwoman of the Drug Control and Addiction Treatment Fund Ghada Wali said deals were made with new specialized medical centers and hospitals to treat drug addicts free of charge.

The treatment services are being extended to deprived areas nationwide, Wali said, adding that a new branch of the hotline was created in Aswan to serve Upper Egyptian citizens.

During a fund board meeting Wednesday, the minister said new hotlines will be launched soon in Ismailia, Dakahlia and Matrouh.

The board meeting reviewed the progress made in the national plan for fighting drugs in the period between July 2015 and March 2016, which has been approved by the Cabinet and carried out in cooperation with 11 ministries.

The meeting also discussed the fund's proposed action plan for fiscal 2016/2017 in the presence of fund director Amr Osman, military public prosecutor Essam Gharib, Assistant Justice Minister for Human Rights Hany Gaber, Anti-Narcotics General Administration Director Ahmed el Kholy, general attorney at the public prosecutor's technical office Mohamed Mahmoud, Secretary General of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union Youssef Amin and director of the hospitals affairs department at the General Secretariat of Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Mahmoud Gawish.

Wali said the fund agreed with five Egyptian universities (Ain Shams, Cairo, Minya, Mansoura and Aswan) to prepare specialized programs for drug addiction treatment. 

Source : MENA