The Faculty of Nursing at the Islamic University of Gaza, in cooperation with the General Administration of Mental Health, held a health forum entitled: “Towards a healthy addiction-free environment “, in the presence of Prof. Dr. Ashraf Al-Jadi, Dean of the Faculty of Nursing, Dr. Muhammad Al-Juraisi, Vice President of the National Committee for the Promotion of Valued Behavior, Dr. Jameel Ali, Director General of Mental Health and Chairman of the Committee for the Prevention of Addiction and Psychotropic Substances, Dr. Osama Imad, Head of Training and Programs Department in the General Directorate of Mental Health, Lieutenant Colonel Yahya Al-Dalu, Director of Awareness at the Ministry of Interior, faculty members and students.
Opening Session
Prof. Dr. Al-Jadi addressed the IUG’s interest in providing studies and developing solutions that would treat and prevent the drug abuse phenomenon. He explained that the forum aims to raise awareness of the dangers of addiction, demonstrate its devastating effects on individuals and society, and focus on prevention methods. He continued that the forum also seeks to build bridges of communication between the Islamic University and the local community institutions, indicating that it targets the youth group represented by university students to enlighten them about the hazards of drug abuse.
Dr. Al-Juraisi pointed out that the National Committee carries a noble message towards society with the objective of treating negative phenomena in the Gaza Strip. The committee also seeks to increase awareness of religious and national values as well as morals in the Palestinian society, and protect it from unsound attitudes by treating or reducing them.
Dr. Ali indicated that the project “Prevention of Addiction and Psychotropic Substances” is one of the Committee for the Promotion of Valued Behavior’s projects, which aims at educating the Palestinian society about the dangers of addiction, working on treating addicts and rehabilitating them, following up with their families to avoid complications, supporting studies and research related to the field of drug control and addiction prevention, and benefiting from regional and international experiences in the same field.
Forum sessions
In the scientific sessions of the forum, Lieutenant Colonel Al-Dalu talked about the dangers of drugs and how they steal one’s present and future, describing addicts as “looking for their souls and not finding them, seeking after false happiness, only to return to being gloomy, frightened, afraid of life, and wishing for death.” He highlighted the importance of awareness campaigns conveying the effects of drugs and their destructive nature in society.
Dr. Imad gave a lecture about raising awareness of health and psychological harms, and the social effects of drugs and addiction. He underlined the factors and causes of drug addiction and its psychological and societal effects, considering it the “most dangerous issue” that threatens families and youth, and pointing to the importance of confronting this scourge by all means available.
