Rabat – Following a wave of public protests over the state of healthcare at the Hassan II Hospital in Agadir, Morocco’s Minister of Health and Social Protection, Amine Tahraoui, has dismissed several senior officials and terminated contracts with companies providing cleaning, security, and reception services.
The officials who were dismissed include the Regional Director of Health for Souss-Massa, the Provincial (or local) Health Delegate, the Director of Hassan II Regional Hospital in Agadir, and several other regional health officials, Le 360 reported.
The minister’s actions come after the discovery of serious problems at the hospital, including shortages of medicines and medical equipment, frequent unjustified staff absences, and overall poor service upon his visit to the hospital this morning.
In response, a new shipment of essential medicine has been sent, and urgent contracts have been made for the maintenance and repair of medical devices. The minister also said that a new scanner has arrived at the hospital this morning to replace a broken one.
These decisions follow recent protests in Agadir, the largest of which took place on Sunday evening. Hundreds of citizens and civil society groups gathered outside the hospital to decry the “catastrophic” conditions.
Protesters, surrounded by security forces, chanted slogans such as “The people want to end corruption” and “This is a shame, this is a scandal… a cemetery or a hospital?” They demanded more doctors, nurses, and medical equipment, particularly in maternity and emergency departments.
The demonstrations were fueled by reports that at least six young women had died in recent weeks after cesarean surgeries carried out under what families and activists described as “questionable conditions.” Patients also attended the protest, including a young woman with a severe leg tumor and an infant born with spina bifida, whose families said they were unable to access necessary care.
Minister Tahraoui said that investigations have been launched to determine the circumstances surrounding these deaths, and detailed reports are being prepared for each case.
