State-funded addiction treatment in Egypt: how the program works and how to reach it

Is there state-funded addiction treatment in Egypt?

Yes. State-funded addiction treatment in Egypt is available through the Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction, the main national body for reducing drug demand, which sits under the Ministry of Social Solidarity. The route starts with a call to its 16023 hotline, which runs around the clock. Egypt's State Information Service describes these services as confidential and provided at no charge, with the person referred to one of the Fund's own treatment centers or a partner center.

We wrote this for families looking for treatment for a son, husband or brother who cannot cover the cost of private care. Here you will find how the government program works, what it covers and what is still left to the family, where its limits are, and how it compares with private treatment. The most important message comes first: there is no "wrong" way to ask for help. The real mistake is waiting.

How does the Fund's treatment service work, and who does it serve?

According to the State Information Service page on Egypt's efforts against addiction (updated in 2026), the Fund is the main national body for reducing drug demand, and its hotline is the main gateway to treatment, counseling and referral. The service is for people with a substance use problem and their families, and the same page mentions services for women. The officially listed services include:

• Telephone counseling and an initial assessment of the situation.
• Choosing a treatment program and referral to a suitable center.
• Medical, psychological and social treatment, including detox and individual and group therapy.
• Rehabilitation in centers that offer sport, occupational therapy, vocational training and help returning to the community.
• Follow-up during and after treatment, psychological and social support, and work with patients' families.

The same page says that by January 2026 the network had reached thirty-five centers in twenty-one governorates, and that some centers have beds set aside for women. Alongside the Fund, the Ministry of Health and Population, through its General Secretariat of Mental Health and Addiction Treatment, offers screening, diagnosis and treatment, including detox, psychological treatment and rehabilitation, with attention to people who have both an addiction and a mental illness.

How do you reach government addiction treatment, step by step?

The officially described starting point is a call to the hotline, followed by an initial assessment and referral. We could not find the full procedure published step by step, so these are practical steps we suggest, and the details may differ from case to case:

1. Call the 16023 hotline, either you or the person themselves, at any hour. The family can call first just to ask and understand.
2. Answer the assessment questions honestly: which substance, for how long, and whether there are other illnesses or earlier attempts to stop.
3. Ask about the proposed center: where it is, when treatment can start, and whether it begins as outpatient care or an inpatient stay.
4. Prepare what you are asked for before you go, and ask plainly which papers the center needs.
5. Keep going after discharge: ask about follow-up appointments, rehabilitation programs and family support.

If there is a mental illness alongside the addiction, or the person is going through a mental-health crisis, there is also the Ministry of Health and Population's mental-health line 16328, which offers psychological support 24 hours a day. To understand the stages treatment usually goes through, read the stages of addiction treatment.

What does "at state expense" mean in practice, and what is left to the family?

It means the family does not pay for the treatment services the program provides: assessment, medical and psychological treatment, detox, rehabilitation and follow-up, as the treating team decides for each case. But the state cannot do the family's part, and you will usually still need to handle:

• Persuading the person to start and going with them for the first step, which is often the hardest one.
• Transport to the center, which may be in another governorate.
• Keeping up with visits and family sessions if they are asked for. The family is part of treatment, not a spectator.
• Arranging life after discharge: a calmer home, distance from the places and people linked to drug use, and a gradual return to work or study.
• Patience with follow-up over months, because recovery does not end when detox ends. According to NIDA, some people need long-term treatment or more than one episode of treatment.

The US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) stresses that detox alone is not treatment and is not enough for recovery, and that effective treatment is tailored to all of a person's needs: medical, psychological and social.

Is government treatment confidential? Will my son be reported?

This is what frightens families most, and the fear is understandable. The official information is clear: the State Information Service describes the hotline and center services as confidential. Internationally, the joint program of the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime calls for addiction treatment to be part of ordinary health and social care, without discrimination, and based on public health and respect for human rights.

Even so, if you have a specific legal worry, such as an earlier court case, do not let it delay treatment. Ask about it clearly on the first call: "How is the patient's information kept, and who can see it?" To learn more about confidentiality and your rights when seeking treatment, read confidentiality in addiction treatment.

Where do waiting lists and capacity limits come in?

The government network has grown a great deal: from twelve centers in seven governorates in 2014 to thirty-five centers in twenty-one governorates in January 2026, according to the State Information Service. But that also means some governorates have no center, and the available place may be far away. Official bodies do not publish a fixed waiting time, so:

• Ask directly: "When can treatment start, and where is the nearest available place?"
• Ask whether there is a step you can start straight away, such as an outpatient clinic or follow-up, until an inpatient place is free.
• If the person is in physical danger or has severe withdrawal symptoms, do not wait your turn: this is an emergency.

Government or private treatment: when does each make sense?

Both routes can lead to recovery. What matters is that treatment is evidence-based and continues, which is what the International Standards for the Treatment of Drug Use Disorders from the World Health Organization and UNODC (2020) set as the basis for organizing treatment services. In the UK, for example, most drug treatment is provided by the NHS and charities, alongside private centers that people pay for themselves. The difference is usually cost, timing and location:

• The state route suits families who cannot afford treatment, and offers a national network with rehabilitation and follow-up programs.
• Private treatment is paid for by the family, and may suit someone who needs a quick start, a place close to home, or more choice of doctor and length of stay.
• The two can sometimes be combined, for example starting in one place and continuing follow-up in another, as long as medical information passes between them and follow-up never breaks off.

If the person refuses treatment altogether, the first step is the same either way: the family learns how to talk with them. Read my son refuses addiction treatment: what can I do?.

Questions to ask before admitting your relative anywhere

Whether the place is public or private, the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) suggests questions to help you judge alcohol treatment programs, and we think they work just as well when choosing a place for drug treatment:

• Is the place licensed, and what qualifications do its doctors and therapists have?
• When can treatment start?
• Does treatment begin with a full assessment, and how is the plan made for this particular person?
• What is the treatment approach, and which levels of care are available (outpatient, inpatient or rehabilitation)?
• Can a doctor prescribe medicine if the situation needs it?
• How are co-existing mental and physical illnesses treated?
• What is expected of the patient and of the family?
• What happens if the person relapses during treatment?
• What follow-up is available after discharge?
• How is the patient's information kept confidential?

Be wary of any place that promises a guaranteed cure or a cure in a few days, applies one approach to everyone, or rejects medicine entirely. For more signs of a safe place and the warning signs of an unsafe one, read how to choose a licensed, safe addiction treatment center.

When should you get help immediately?

If your relative talks about death or about being a burden on others, or starts saying goodbye to people, ask them calmly and directly: "Are you thinking of harming yourself?" Listen without blame, do not leave them alone, and get help right away. These crises can pass, and help at the right moment makes a real difference.

Even without an emergency, do not put off treatment if use is increasing, attempts to stop have failed, or work, study or home life are suffering. NIDA notes that relapse rates for addiction are between 40 and 60%, similar to other chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure and asthma (50 to 70%) (NIDA, 2020), and that relapse means treatment needs adjusting, not that it has failed.

How does treatment work at Oxygen Center?

Oxygen Center in Damanhour is a private center. If you choose this route, treatment begins with an appointment with an addiction doctor, who decides the level of care. The family may come alone first if the person refuses to attend. If the situation needs medically supervised detox, it takes place during an inpatient stay, followed by rehabilitation, family counseling and aftercare. Inpatient stays are for males only, aged 15 and over (under 18 with a guardian's consent), and the center has no services for children under 15. Doctor appointments, therapy sessions, behavior-modification sessions and drug tests are for both men and women.

To ask a question or book: mobile and WhatsApp +20 101 687 0711, landline +20 45 320 0011, and for emergencies and complaints 24/7, +20 100 006 6752. Whichever route you choose, public or private, what matters is starting today. Recovery is possible, and the first step is a phone call.