Medical emergencies in dire straits

«The situation of medical emergencies in Morocco is worrying and alarming «. These are the remarks of Ahmed Reda Chami, president of the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council (CESE), who took the floor during a meeting held on Wednesday June 21, 2023 for the presentation of a study on the dysfunctions in the management of medical emergencies at the national level.

Overcrowding, lack of specialized medical staff and equipment, absence of emergency services in certain hospital infrastructures… the list of ills and dysfunctions from which the sector suffers, is long. «This represents a danger for cases requiring rapid and urgent intervention to save their lives», laments Ahmed Reda Chami.

Despite the efforts made over the last 20 years to upgrade emergency services, the quality of care remains inadequate, below international standards. «The various plans and strategies implemented by the public authorities have not substantially improved the quality of service in medical emergencies», laments the President of the CESE. The various links in the chain are inadequate to varying degrees, which inevitably has a negative impact on patient care.

■ Public services under strain

Public hospitals record 6,482,185 emergency consultations and treatments per year. Between 2002 and 2022, only 29 emergency physicians were trained. Worse still, emergency services are run mainly by in-house doctors who are not sufficiently qualified.

■ Clinics: the practice of cheques and under-the-table money

The private, for-profit hospital sector, which includes 450 clinics, certainly plays an important role in the emergency care sector, despite the limited number of clinics and their concentration (80%) on the Casablanca-Rabat axis and in major cities. However, according to CESE, the private hospital sector is heavily criticized, particularly for the practice of using guarantee cheques and asking for money «under the table».

■ Medical coverage: Patients often aggrieved

The financial solvency of patients remains a determining factor. Even with medical coverage, insured patients with medical emergencies face a considerable financial burden. This is because outpatient care is not covered by the third-party payer system. The cost of medical transport is borne solely by patients. Neither the Compulsory Medical Insurance (AMO) nor private insurance companies cover these costs, except for policyholders who have taken out a medical assistance contract. Patient out-of-pocket expenses are high, and can exceed 50% of the total bill.

Khadija Skalli