Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population has introduced psychological support workshops for parents of children with diabetes, integrating family wellbeing into a broader initiative aimed at easing the long-term burden of the disease.
Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population has held two psychological support workshops for parents of children with diabetes, extending a paediatric diabetes initiative beyond clinical care and into family support. According to the ministry, the sessions were organised with the presidential “Ahlana Al-Sukkar” programme for children with diabetes and alongside the “Your Health is Happiness” initiative, in partnership with the General Secretariat for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment.
The ministry said the aim was to provide a more rounded model of care for children with diabetes, one that recognises the strain the condition can place on families as well as on young patients. Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the ministry’s official spokesperson, said the workshops were designed to help parents cope with the psychological and social pressures linked to their children’s illness and to give them practical skills for dealing with challenges during treatment. The emphasis, he said, was on creating a supportive home environment that can strengthen children’s emotional wellbeing and help them live more comfortably with the disease.
The sessions brought together Dr. Maysoun Dawood, coordinator of the “Ahlana Al-Sukkar” initiative, Dr. Sahar Magdy, coordinator of “Your Health is Happiness”, Dr. Mona Abbas, head of training at the General Secretariat for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment, and Dr. Walaa Hosni, a child and adolescent psychiatry consultant who leads the children and adolescents department there. The mental health initiative itself was introduced as part of a wider effort to place psychological care on the same footing as physical treatment, with awareness, early detection, support and therapy presented as linked parts of the health system. That broader policy context is also reflected in the paediatric diabetes programme, which Egyptian officials have previously said is intended to ease the burden on families through more integrated care and newer glucose-monitoring technology.
The workshops also fit into a wider pattern in Egypt’s public health messaging, in which childhood diabetes is being treated not only as a medical condition but as a long-term family challenge. The National Council for Childhood and Motherhood has previously welcomed the presidential diabetes initiative, saying modern monitoring tools can reduce both physical discomfort and psychological pressure on children and their carers. Officials have described the programme as part of the state’s broader public-health agenda, including the “100 Million Healthy Lives” drive, and have said it is meant to improve quality of life while making care more sustainable for families.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
