The authorities closed more than 25 illegal addiction treatment centers.

25 illegal addiction treatment centers      

 Egypt Prosecutes Unlicensed Addiction Treatment Centers

Security campaigns in Egypt have revealed the proliferation of unlicensed psychiatric hospitals and addiction treatment centers run by unqualified individuals, posing a threat to the lives of patients and their families.

 Over the past few months, relevant authorities have closed more than 25 violating centers and arrested dozens of their administrators in several governorates, including Cairo, Giza (Abu El-Nomros - Kerdasa), Sharqia (10th of Ramadan City), Dakahlia, Alexandria, Aswan, and Assiut.

This phenomenon highlights the challenges facing Egypt's mental health system and raises questions about the emergence of these entities and their impact on the state's efforts to combat addiction. These hospitals rely on unofficial advertisements and unregulated channels, such as social media, closed pages, or local brokers, which facilitates their rapid and discreet access to victims and complicates monitoring and detection efforts. Some wonder how these centers opened and what drives people to seek them out.

For his part, Dr. Jamal Farweez, a psychiatric consultant, explained in a statement to Al-Araby.net and Al-Hadath.net that the spread of fake addiction treatment centers is due to intertwined factors, most notably the exploitation of families' needs and their quick desire to save their children, even through facilities that are not officially recognized.

He explained that unqualified individuals open centers in real estate or residential apartments, placing a large number of recovering addicts inside them with the consent of their families. These individuals are subjected to unscientific treatment methods, such as giving them ampoules of anti-epileptic drugs or doses of sleeping pills, with the aim of deceiving them into responding to treatment and approaching recovery.

Lack of Specialized Medical Staff

Farweez pointed out that the danger of these centers is not limited to the lack of specialized medical staff, but also includes random practices that could expose patients to serious health and psychological complications. Despite the state's intensive efforts to arrest those responsible for these activities and shut down the facilities, their continuation depends on other factors, including misleading advertisements through unofficial channels and their easy access to families through intermediaries or social media. Furthermore, their lower costs compared to licensed and accredited clinics increase their ability to attract families, which explains their continued demand despite their grave risks.

Dr. Mohamed Abdel Samie, Assistant Professor of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology at the Faculty of Medicine at Mansoura University, explained in a statement to Al Arabiya.net and Al Hadath.net that addiction treatment centers are subject to strict requirements set by the Ministry of Health, and their licenses are not easily granted to ensure patient safety and the quality of services. However, there are still centers that are operated outside of specialized medical supervision, despite the intensive campaigns led by the ministry and the arrest of a large number of them, making their continuation a grave danger to patients.

Abdel Samie pointed out that those in charge of these centers lack sufficient knowledge of medications and rely on superficial training courses. Some may resort to using expired medications in treatment programs to make quick financial gains, posing a direct threat to patients' health and safety. Some families also attribute their resorting to these unlicensed centers to the high cost of accredited clinics staffed by specialized doctors, which prompts them to seek cheaper alternatives despite their risks.