A newborn in severe respiratory distress was evacuated by medical aircraft from Laayoune to Rabat on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.
The ministry said the infant was admitted to the regional hospital in Laayoune with “acute respiratory distress” before medical teams stabilized his condition. After evaluation, specialists decided on an urgent air transfer to the pediatric intensive care unit of the University Hospital Centre (CHU) in Rabat.
A medical and nursing team accompanied the newborn aboard the aircraft “to ensure appropriate care at the pediatric resuscitation unit,” the ministry noted. It added that the operation, including the medical flight and reception on arrival, was completed “through coordination between the relevant services.”
An earlier medical airlift was also carried out on November 4, involving a 38-year-old pregnant woman.
She was airlifted from Laayoune to the Mohammed VI University Hospital Centre (CHU) in Agadir, the Regional Directorate of Health and Social Protection in Laayoune said at the time.
The patient arrived at the emergency department of the regional hospital Moulay El Hassan Ben El Mehdi in her eighth month of pregnancy showing signs of premature labor linked to placenta praevia, described as a condition that could endanger both mother and fetus, according to the communiqué.
After her condition was stabilized, doctors determined that she required a third-level urgent surgical intervention. She was transferred aboard a medical aircraft accompanied by a medical and nursing team.
The transfer was conducted “in coordination between the SAMU and the Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service (SMUR)” of Laayoune and the CHU Mohammed VI in Agadir, the communiqué said at the time.
Both transfers were described as part of the ministry’s ongoing efforts to strengthen emergency care and expand medical air-transport services “to guarantee access to specialized treatment,” according to the official statements.
MWN with MAP
