›› Presentation of the Health and Social Action Department

Presentation of the Health and Social Action Directorate

The Health and Social Action Directorate is responsible for meeting the growing needs of insured individuals and their dependents in terms of social and health care.

The missions of the Health and Social Action Directorate

• General and specialist medical consultations
• Making pharmaceutical and parapharmaceutical products available to the population following government policy, in particular the promotion of generic medicines;
• The social and professional reintegration of employees who have been victims of accidents at work, as well as medical, psychological and educational assistance for those with motor disabilities.
• The social and educational integration of children;
• Health education and protection for children and families.

Healthcare facilities

03 Specialised clinics:

1. The Bou Ismail (Tipaza) paediatric medical and surgical clinic:

o Provides medical and surgical care for children under 15 years of age who have congenital heart disease, with an annex for the accommodation of parents of sick children;

2. The Orthopaedic Clinic in Messerghine, Oran:

o Specialised in medical and surgical care for orthopaedic conditions and the socio-professional reintegration of victims of work accidents;

3. The Ibnou Sina Clinic – Algiers:

o Specialised in medical and surgical care for ENT (ear, nose and throat) disorders.

04 Regional Medical Imaging Centres:

Located in Constantine, Maghnia, Laghouat and Jijel, their objective is to facilitate access to radiology examinations for insured individuals and their dependents.

34 Diagnostic, Screening and Care Centres, their missions are:

• Medical consultations;
• Functional exploration;
• Biological analyses;
• General and epidemiological prevention;
• Health education;
• Specialised medical advice;
• Medical imaging.

49 Pharmaceutical offices responsible for:

Providing the population with pharmaceutical and parapharmaceutical products in accordance with government policy, in particular the promotion of generic medicines;

Social Structures

• 30 nurseries and kindergartens spread across the country.
• 01 centre for psycho-educational and speech therapy care for children and adolescents in Kouba

National Breast Cancer Early Detection Campaign

As part of the social security sector reforms decided by the public authorities, such as improving the quality of services, modernising social security, in particular through the implementation of the CHIFA system, and preserving its financial balance, the National Social Insurance Fund of Salaried Workers (CNAS) provides its insured individuals and their beneficiaries with four regional medical imaging centres created in 2008 as part of its health and social initiatives.

These centres are located in Jijel, Constantine, Maghnia, and Laghouat, equipped with high-tech equipment such as MRI machines, scanners, mammography machines, ultrasound machines, dental panoramic machines, Doppler ultrasound machines, conventional radiology equipment, etc., thus providing a full range of radiological examinations.

Their missions consist of improving access for insured individuals to expensive radiological examinations and developing early screening for serious and costly diseases.

To this end, specialised counters have been set up for making appointments at the headquarters of each CNAS agency.

In addition to their regular examinations, the four regional medical imaging centres and the Algiers Diagnostic and Care Centre have been conducting breast cancer screenings for the past three years as part of a national campaign launched in January 2010 by the Minister of Labour, Employment, and Social Security.

The National Social Insurance Fund of Salaried Workers invites insured women and their dependents aged 40 and over to undergo free screening at these centres.

They can also make an appointment by contacting the specialised counter at their local agency directly.

Transport costs are covered by the CNAS.

To this end, as in the previous three years and in order to ensure the success and optimise the effectiveness of this operation, the CNAS is continuing the information and awareness-raising work that it began when the programme was launched, with a view to increasing uptake and making mammograms a reflex part of women’s healthcare routine.

Numerous awareness campaigns have been conducted, involving family doctors, since the launch of the primary care physician programme, which participates by prescribing preventive measures.

Early screening is one of the most effective ways to fight breast cancer. Through this initiative and the awareness campaigns it organises, the CNAS hopes to convince even the most reluctant women to undergo screening and, through this contribution, to reduce the incidence of breast cancer in Algeria.