Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population said on Wednesday it had shut down 32 unlicensed addiction treatment and psychiatric centres across four governorates as part of a nationwide campaign against illegal medical facilities.
The closures were carried out in Alexandria, Sharqiya, Beheira, and Dakahlia following inspection campaigns involving health directorates, the National Council for Mental Health, and the Interior Ministry’s General Administration for Drug Control, the ministry said.
According to the ministry, inspectors found the centres operating without licences and in violation of laws regulating private medical facilities and mental health services.
Violations included the absence of qualified technical directors, poor infection-control practices, inadequate medical equipment, improper handling of hazardous waste, and deficient patient records.
In Alexandria, authorities shut down eight centres in the Abu Talat and Agami areas. In Sharqia, 11 facilities were closed in the 10th of Ramadan City.
Another 11 centres were shut in Alexandria’s Abu Talat and Al-King areas, as well as in Damanhour, Beheira, the ministry said.
In Dakahlia, inspection teams reviewed two licensed facilities in Mansoura and Talkha. Reports were filed against the Naqaa Psychiatric and Addiction Treatment Centre and the Delta Psychiatric and Addiction Treatment Centre over pharmaceutical violations. Both were given 15 days to correct deficiencies.
Health Ministry spokesperson Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar said legal action had been taken against centres found in violation and that inspection campaigns would continue nationwide.
The crackdown comes days after Egypt’s Public Prosecution launched an investigation into a fire at an unlicensed addiction treatment centre in Benha, north of Cairo, that killed seven people and injured six others.
Prosecutors said the facility was operating without the required permits and inspected the site to determine the cause of the blaze.
Authorities have repeatedly warned that unlicensed addiction treatment centres pose serious risks to patients, citing unsafe accommodation, lack of qualified medical staff, poor infection control, and the absence of emergency response systems.
There is no official nationwide count of unlicensed addiction treatment facilities in Egypt. Authorities instead report closures through periodic inspection campaigns carried out by the Health Ministry in coordination with the National Council for Mental Health and security agencies.
An academic study has estimated that more than 800 drug rehabilitation centres operate in Egypt, a figure that includes both licensed and unlicensed facilities, though it does not provide a definitive breakdown of illegal operations.
Health officials say unlicensed centres often operate from apartments, villas, or farms and present themselves as rehabilitation homes or psychological support facilities to avoid regulation.
The lack of a central registry and the practice of reopening under new names after closure make it difficult to determine the true scale of the phenomenon.
