Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Health signed a record of discussions with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to provide a $3.5 million fund to finance a health project related to improving maternal health services in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al-Hoceima region.
The signing ceremony took place on April 1 between Secretary-General of the Ministry of Health Abdelilah Boutaleb and KOICA’s resident representative in Morocco, Yon-woo Jeong.
To be implemented over a period of five years, the project aims to boost health professionals’ skills and capacities of health professionals. It comes with a view of improving the quality of maternal and neonatal health services in Morocco’s northern region through the sharing of know-how and expertise. The ultimate aim of the project is to reduce maternal mortality and neonatal morbidity.
As the mother and newborn require special care, the program will revolve around providing training to health professionals in direct contact with the mother and newborn at all levels.
Around 440 health care providers including general practitioners, midwives, multipurpose nurses, as well as regional trainers, will benefit from training sessions in Morocco. A further 15 executives and managers working in maternal and neonatal health will also receive short-term training in South Korea.
To achieve the goal, the signatories will jointly develop an advanced learning method for regional health professionals, with basic and advanced programs for each subject, e-learning courses, and collective learning courses.
Speaking about the cooperation, Boutaleb shed light on Morocco’s advancements in maternal and neonatal health, noting that Morocco met the targets specified in the Fifth Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), “Improve Maternal Health.”
The new South Korean-funded program is part of Morocco’s commitments to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), added Boutaleb. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being includes several targets for maternal and neonatal support.
