- Title: Moroccan medics protest over conditions, staff shortages as pandemic surges
- Date: 14th September 2020
- Summary: RABAT, MOROCCO (FILE) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF HOSPITAL WITH SIGN AT ENTRANCE READING (Arabic/English): "HOSPITAL CHEIKH KHALIFA BEIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN" EXTERIOR OF MEDICAL CENTRE WITH SIGN READING (Arabic/French): "CENTRE FOR VIROLOGY, INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND TROPICAL DISEASES" MEDIC WALKING THROUGH HOSPITAL CORRIDOR MEDIC HELPING ANOTHER STAFF MEMBER DISINFE
- Embargoed: 28th September 2020 15:50
- Keywords: Coronavirus Doctors Hospitals Morocco Nurses Rabat Strikes Supplies
- Location: RABAT, MOROCCO
- City: RABAT, MOROCCO
- Country: Morocco
- Topics: Africa,Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA001CVNUEKN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Working conditions are so bad for medics in Morocco handling a surging coronavirus outbreak as many are now staging protests against short staffing and badly equipped facilities.
Anas Qarim, a nurse working at a hospital designated to treat COVID-19 in the central city of Meknes, said only three nurses and two doctors treat 120 patients.
"Imagine wearing full protective gear in the summer heat working continuously for hours," he said, speaking at a protest of dozens of medics in Rabat demanding better pay and conditions. It was one of at least three protests in two weeks.
The kingdom recorded a record 2,430 cases on Friday and has confirmed no fewer than 1,000 on any day since July - the most aggressive surge among its North African peers.
Intensive care units in most hospitals are overrun, other wards are full and the national nurses' movement said at least 526 of their members had been infected, aggravating the shortage of staff.
A Health Ministry spokesman did not respond to repeated requests for comment from Reuters over several days. However, King Mohammed VI said last week that the health situation "does not leave much room for optimism".
Despite an intense three-month lockdown, the virus spread widely in Morocco and surged after it was lifted, reaching more than 86,000 cases.
For patients, the problems have been disastrous. Queues for tests start at 5am at the Sheikh Khalifa hospital in Casablanca.
Those who sicken badly struggle to get into hospital.
The Health Ministry has tried to raise capacity by installing field hospitals - tents equipped with beds and oxygen while the government has spurred industry to manufacture equipment.
Things are worse in Morocco's poorer, less-developed rural areas. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said there was only one doctor per 4,150 people in the southeastern Daraa Tafilalet region.
The WHO calls for a minimum of 2.4 medics per 1,000 people. Nationally, Morocco has 0.7 doctors and 1.3 nurses per thousand, it said. Last year, the health ministry said there was a shortage of 32,000 doctors and 64,000 nurses.
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