There are 22 psychiatric hospitals across the nation operating without a license, National Council for Mental Health (NCMH) Director Hesham Ramez announced on Monday.
The hospitals are illegally treating patients for conditions from addiction to other psychological illnesses, Ramez said. The council has notified the Health Ministry about the problem, as the NCMH itself does not have the power to shut them down.
Ramez said he saw a video clip of patients being stripped, beaten and tortured at one of the illegal hospitals in the Moqattam area.
“The law punishes owners of unlicensed medical institutions with two years of prison,” he said.
Dr. Saber Ghoneim, head of the Health Ministry licensing department, said the Moqattam hospital highlighted by Ramez has been closed down.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
