Head of the Environment Council announces the launch of the World Environment Day celebrations
The Higher Council for Environment and Urban and Rural Development in Khartoum State launched the World Environment Day celebrations today from inside Abdel Aal Al-Idrisi Psychiatric Hospital in Kober by planting 50 saplings of various types, including ornamental, shade, and fruit trees. The event was attended by a representative of the Khartoum State Ministry of Health, Major General Ahmed Youssef, Director of Police Hospitals, police officers and soldiers from the hospital, as well as directors of the council’s general departments.
During the launch of the celebrations, Professor Ghada Hussein Al-Awad, Secretary-General of the Higher Council for Environment and Urban and Rural Development in Khartoum State, stated that the Council initiated the project at Abdel Aal Al-Idrisi Psychiatric Hospital to restore vegetation cover within institutions. She emphasized the importance of linking psychological and environmental aspects, given the sensitive nature of the mental health cases they treat, which require a supportive environment and personalized care. She pledged to continue afforestation programs with the hospital as part of its efforts to restore the hospital’s green cover, through partnerships with the hospital and the Ministry of Health. She thanked the hospital staff for their significant efforts in largely reopening the outpatient clinics and their commitment to working towards reopening the remaining departments as soon as possible.
She concluded by congratulating the Council’s staff and the citizens of Khartoum State on World Environment Day, announcing that celebrations would continue throughout June with a series of environmental awareness and afforestation programs in partnership with White Nile State, represented by the State Council for Environment and Kenana Sugar Company, as well as several ministries and civil society organizations.
For his part, Major General Ahmed Youssef Faragallah, Director of the Police Hospitals Department for Psychiatry, welcomed the Minister and the launch of the celebration activities from within the hospital. He praised the strategic partnership between the two parties and the planting of numerous trees as part of the psychological rehabilitation program. He added, “On behalf of myself and the Director General of Medical Services, we value the partnership with the Council, which will lead to further programs in the coming days.”
In the same context, Dr. Abdul Wahid Ali, representative of the Khartoum State Ministry of Health, stated that launching the World Environment Day celebrations with tree planting within the hospital has a significant impact on mental and physical health, contributing to the treatment of many psychological illnesses. He said that many diseases are linked to the environment, emphasizing the importance of this step in the psychological aspect of addiction treatment and the reintegration of those affected into society. He announced the Ministry of Health’s support for the Council in all its programs with expertise, personnel, and resources.
The Council also launched the planting and distribution of a number of trees in the Al-Rumaila area through the Friends of the Environment Association, a group comprised of approximately 49 students from various schools in the area.