2024-07-15 02:29:55
During a restitution workshop, organized by the EESC to present the conclusions of its opinion “How to remedy the worrying situation of the medical emergency care sector in Morocco?”, Mr. Chami indicated, in his opening speech, that the quality of medical emergency care does not meet international standards, despite efforts made over the last twenty years by the medical public authorities to remedy the accumulated shortcomings.
In this regard, the EESC President pointed out the weak coordination between civil protection services, university hospitals (CHU), local authorities, private clinics and non-profit hospital structures, adding the lack of organisation of emergency medical aid services (SAMU) which remain unknown, not open to the private hospital sector, unavailable in three regions and which suffer from insufficient human resources and logistical means.
He also deplored the shortcomings in the public and private sectors of medical transport, which can sometimes worsen the condition of patients and the injured, noting the absence of mandatory standards for both sectors regarding facilities, equipment and regulatory mechanisms for emergency medical services.
There is a shortage of qualified and specialized medical and paramedical human resources, continued Mr. Chami, noting that more than 20 years after the creation of the emergency medicine specialty, Morocco has only 29 emergency physicians.
In this wake, he noted the dysfunction in the organization of the rescue operation, the delay of ambulances (between 40 and 195 minutes), often not equipped (oxygen, defibrillator, transport of infants, etc.), and not accompanied by qualified health personnel, the overcrowding in emergency services, the lack of specialized medical personnel and the absence of emergency services in certain hospitals.
On the other hand, the EESC President indicated that medical emergencies are an integral part of the health service system that must be provided to beneficiaries by the public authorities, as an embodiment of the effectiveness of the right to life and its preservation and the right of access to medical care and treatment.
These are fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution, not only because they are part of the foundations of full citizenship, but also because health constitutes an indispensable pillar for achieving social promotion and economic progress, he explained.
With this in mind, Mr Chami recommended developing specifications that would constitute a normative framework that could be applied to the public and private sectors regarding buildings, equipment, personnel and the organisation of emergency hospital services.
He also called for work towards optimal investment in digital technology for the organisation of emergency medical care (teleconsultation, tele-expertise, etc.).
The EESC’s opinion is based on the results of the citizen consultation that was launched by the Council on this subject on its participatory digital platform (ouchariko.ma), he stressed, noting that the number of interactions reached 79,233, including 621 responses to the questionnaire.
Nearly 93% of the participants said they used the medical emergency system and 12% said the care was instantaneous, Chami said, adding that more than half of the cases were taken care of within an hour, while 12% had to wait four hours.
Based on a vision focused on the need to have a medical emergency care system that provides safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient-centred care, the EESC has taken up this issue itself with a view to analysing the situation of the emergency care system in order to remedy its current dysfunctions.
2024-07-15 02:29:55