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Rabat — The Ministry of Health issued a statement on Saturday, addressing public outrage over reports of a power outage at Moulay Youssef Hospital in Rabat, which allegedly led to the deaths of four ICU patients this week.
In the statement, the ministry said the recent deaths at Moulay Youssef Hospital were not caused by a technical failure in the oxygen supply system.
The ministry said its conclusion came following an internal investigation, which found that the two recorded deaths were due to complications from patients’ underlying illnesses rather than the brief technical issue that affected the oxygen supply.
“The first occurred two and a half hours after the technical failure; while the second occurred more than four hours later, the investigation showed.”
The statement acknowledged that a sudden technical failure in the oxygen supply system did take place on Tuesday morning, but that this was not due to a lack of oxygen or a power outage at the hospital; contrary to the circulating information.
Within approximately forty minutes, the oxygen supply system resumed normal operation, the statement detailed, noting that despite the failure all patients in the unit continued to receive oxygen through mobile oxygen cylinders.
The ministry concluded its statement, extending its condolences to the families of the deceased and reiterated its commitment to providing quality health services to citizens.
The ministry’s statement of reassurance regarding this case comes amidst widespread concerns about the healthcare system in Morocco.
Reports have frequently highlighted critical challenges, including insufficnetly equipped medical facilities and a severe shortage of healthcare professionals.
Last year, the country’s Court of Audit released an alarming report on the concerning rise in the lack of human resources within the Moroccan health sector.
By the end of 2021, the number of health workers per 1,000 people in Morocco was 1.64, well below the minimum of 4.45 needed to meet the targets set by the United Nations.
The issue of “brain drain” comes on top of several crises facing the Moroccan healthcare sector, including the protests being led by doctors, nurses, as well as medical students.
In 2022, former Minister of Higher Education Abdellatif Miraoui indicated that nearly 3,700 Moroccan professionals, including doctors and engineers, leave Morocco annually.
According to other official estimates, approximately 700 doctors, 2,000 to 3,000 engineers, in addition to 30,000 workers in the field of tourism emigrate each year for various reasons.
