Infant Dies at Moroccan Hospital Amid Delayed Care, Sparking Investigation Calls

The infant, whose family is originally from Midar, in the province of Driouch, but lives in Belgium, "was suffering from a high fever accompanied by breathing difficulties. His family took him to the provincial hospital in Driouch at 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 10, 2024, but he received no care due to the absence of a doctor to examine his condition, and the infant took his last breath on the way to a private clinic in Nador," explains the local office of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) in a statement.

The Association attributes responsibility for this death to the provincial hospital in Driouch which, according to it, showed "serious and unjustified negligence" and failed in "its duty to come to the child’s aid," calling for an investigation to be opened so that "such tragedies do not occur again in the future". The news of the baby’s death "has strongly shaken local public opinion on the same day that the National Migrant Day is celebrated" and also reveals "part of the suffering endured by the Moroccan community residing abroad during its return to the country during the summer," notes the statement.

This incident also highlights "the falsity of the slogans associated with the programs intended to take care of this category of Moroccan citizens by the official authorities," denounced the AMDH, which has called on the Ministry of Health and Social Protection to open an "urgent and thorough investigation" into this matter. The association also called on the ministry to "respect its commitments regarding the expansion of health services offered at the local hospital in Midar and in all health centers in the territorial communities of the province, in order to put an end to the suffering of citizens resulting from the serious deficit observed at the level of the health system in the province".