Building an integrated system to care for children with autism spectrum disorder

The Minister of Health, Mohamed Siddiq Ait Messaoudane, stressed that the Ministry of Health has been keen, over nearly 10 years, to build an integrated system based on early diagnosis and continuous medical and psychological care for autism spectrum disorder.

In his speech on the occasion of the official opening of the national training workshops on caring for children with autism spectrum disorder, organized at the level of the National School of Administration, the Minister stressed that organizing these training workshops falls within the framework of a common interest in improving care for this category of society, noting that autism spectrum disorders are considered a priority health issue, given their increasing prevalence and their humanitarian and social repercussions in Algeria and in various parts of the world.

The Minister explained that, given the complexity of this disorder and its different clinical manifestations, it has become necessary to adopt a multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral approach. Accordingly, the Ministry took the initiative to prepare the national plan for autism in cooperation with various partners. This required the participation of many medical specialties, relevant sectors, and the association movement, in addition to support from national and foreign experts, recalling that the President of the Republic has made the issue of autism a national priority, which reflects the state’s commitment to improving the quality of care and promoting the social integration of afflicted people.

He added that the health sector contributed to supporting this path by creating the specialty of child and adolescent psychiatry and strengthening the structures designated for it, as Algeria today has 20 specialized units, 9 of which are of a university hospital nature, supervised by highly qualified professors, in addition to approximately 100 specialists in this field, which is a qualitative gain that enhances the health system’s capabilities to respond to these growing needs.

At the conclusion of his speech, the Minister renewed the Ministry’s full commitment to implementing this national plan, in coordination and close cooperation with the various concerned sectors, associations and experts, to confront the challenges, especially in providing resources, enhancing competencies, developing the regulatory framework, and improving coordination among the various stakeholders, to ensure the achievement of the set goals, stressing that the success of this national endeavor depends on the combined efforts of all actors within the framework of a common vision based on solidarity and responsibility.