Health: 6 billion MAD for the Ibn Sina University Hospital

Health minister Khalid Ait Taleb felt elated seeing the King give the kickoff of the construction work of the new Ibn Sina University Hospital Center (CHU) in Rabat on Thursday, May 05. The construction of the hos­pital requires the mobilization of 6 billion Dirhams (about 600 million USD), financed by the line ministry. More than 3.8 billion MAD are allo­cated to the study and the realization of the project.

More than 2 other bil­lion MAD will be used to acquire all the equipment necessary for the operation of a University Hospital. It will however be necessary to wait 4 years before seeing the first patients crossing the threshold of this large hospital compound. For the minis­ter, the project aims to strengthen the supply of care in order to support health coverage. Moreover, this new structure is part of the gigantic royal project relating to the generalization of social protection, launched nearly two years ago.

According to its initiators, this pro­ject testifies to the special interest that the Sovereign grants to the health sector, in particular through the development of hospital infras­tructures and the strengthening of basic health services so as to bring these closer to -and make them wit­hin – citizens´ reach.

■ A modern network of univer­sity hospitals is being set up: For its promoters, the new CHU to be built will be a national, regional and continental reference. In the current structure, it will be at the forefront in terms of care. It is also a question of perceiving this project within the framework of the health map which includes CHU projects under construction such as those of Tangiers, Agadir, and Laayoune. Others are already operational, such as those in the cities of Fez, Oujda, and Marrakech. Other regions will follow suit, the goal being to provide Morocco with a system that matches its ambitions, allowing it to make a quantum leap in terms of care.

■ The old Ibn Sina hospital dating from 1954 will be demolished: For the Minister, this project will come in response to the needs of the popula­tion and to replace the current building of Ibn Sina, which has become over time dilapidated and a real money pit. Built in 1954, the hospital was not in­tended to become a university hospital. With this new compound, the hospital rooms will be individual or shared by two persons, thus reducing the risks of infection in particular. It is for this reason that the hospital will be demo­lished to make way for green spaces. Part of its wings will be used to house a museum of medicine.

■ A hospital with international stan­dards: In any case, the line ministry, which is the contracting authority, desi­gned the project in the form of a futu­ristic hospital compound, in tune with international standards. It is planned to resort to new generation technolo­gies such as solar filters, photovoltaic panels, the recovery of rainwater and their use in watering the green spaces of the hospital, which will allow for better energy efficiency within the fra­mework of sustainable development.

M.C.