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A global and united approach.
Algeria has placed mental health at the forefront of its concerns calling for a global and united approach by the voice of the Minister of Labor, Employment and Social Security, Abdelhak Saïhi, during his intervention at the high -level meeting devoted to the prevention and strengthening of health within the framework of the 80ᵉ session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York. This is what a statement from the ministry said this Saturday.
From the start of his intervention, the Minister said that “mental health is now a pillar of public policies”, adding that “Algeria is working to integrate the psychological dimension in all public health policies, with the objective of expanding care and improving the well-being of citizens”. This choice, he added, “reflects the conviction that mental health cannot be dissociated from physical health or relegated to the background”.
Exposing the main lines of national health policy, the representative of Algeria highlighted the ambition of an overall health reform, based on the modernization of infrastructure, the upgrading of hospital structures and the massive introduction of digital technologies. In this perspective, the country is deploying new healthcare establishments that comply with international standards, while working to improve the working conditions of medical and paramedical staff.
The Minister also noted the central role of the local pharmaceutical industry. It already covers 80% of the needs of the national market, allowing the country to reduce its external dependence and strengthen its health sovereignty. He stressed that “this performance places Algeria in a position of strength to actively contribute the supply of the African continent to essential and accessible drugs”.
Prevention also occupies a central place in this strategy. Mr. Saïhi presented the multisectoral strategic plan to combat non -transmitted diseases for the period 2022–2030, succeeding the 2015–2019 program. This plan is based on 11 strategic objectives, 30 programs and 113 concrete measures, it is deployed in school, health and professional circles, with particular attention to vulnerable populations. The fight against obesity, through targeted measures, illustrates the state’s desire to act on risky behavior that weighs on public health.
The Minister also recalled the fundamental achievements registered in the Constitution, in this case, free care and the enlargement of universal health coverage. Two principles that Algeria intends not only to preserve but strengthen, by making access to care an effective right guaranteed to all citizens.
The Algerian delegation stressed that the current health issues cannot be noted without sincere and fair international cooperation. Algeria thus pleads for a global partnership based on the transfer of technologies, the sharing of knowledge and the strengthening of the capacities of African countries. For Algiers, it is at this price that it will be possible to build a fairer future, more united and safer for everyone.