Members of Morocco’s Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (AMIP) have unanimously approved the creation of the Moroccan Federation of the Pharmaceutical Industry (FMIP).
The new federation aims to unite pharmaceutical operators in Morocco and strengthen the national industrial fabric. It also aims to support initiatives that develop the sector and to represent Moroccan pharmaceutical companies in dialogue with the government.
The FMIP brings together over 30 Moroccan companies operating in the pharmaceutical sector. The AMIP considers the new body to be a “real catalyst for industrial development,” able to promote Morocco’s pharmaceutical industry on the international level and generate many jobs.
The federation also seeks to strengthen Morocco’s autonomy and sovereignty in terms of access to medication through improving the domestic production of drugs.
The FMIP will be affiliated to the National Health Federation (FNS), which regroups several unions representing Moroccan health professionals.
A new party in the struggle of Morocco’s health sector
The creation of the new federation coincides with the increasing complaints about a lack of medical supplies and equipment in Moroccan hospitals. It also coincides with the so-far fruitless negotiations between medical professionals and the Ministry of Health to improve working conditions.
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Last week, after Morocco lost three prominent doctors in one day due to COVID-19, Dr. Abdellatif Yassi from the Hassan II University Hospital in Agadir denounced the ministry’s “negligence” of medical staff amid fears of a second wave of COVID-19 infections.
Yassi criticized the Moroccan government for not providing doctors with the necessary working materials and conditions to protect themselves and provide proper treatment for COVID-19 patients.
He also mentioned the Ministry of Health’s delay in remunerating doctors for their exceptional efforts since the start of the domestic COVID-19 outbreak in March.
“What is sad is the government’s theatrical play towards medical staff. After it promised us several months ago that our [remuneration] demands will be answered and that there was an agreement with the Ministry of Finance … doctors felt optimistic,” Yassi wrote on Facebook.
“However, while signing the agreement, we started hearing stories about a technical committee studying our demands again and other nonsense. Enough is enough,” he added.
