Moroccan Taxi Drivers Offer Free Rides to Chronically Ill During Lockdown

More than forty small taxi drivers in the city of El Jadida, affiliated with the Union of Syndicates and Associations of Small Taxis in El Jadida, have widely shared their phone numbers, thus demonstrating their solidarity with these two vulnerable social categories, faced with long waiting times and the scarcity of available taxis due to the state of health emergency.

According to Hajja Fatima, 62, one of the beneficiaries suffering from kidney failure for nearly 16 years, the initiative is commendable and could not have come at a better time. "The driver who transports me relieves my pain and comforts me. He comes to pick me up three times a week at 6 a.m. to take me to the polyclinic for dialysis sessions, before taking me back home," said the delighted sexagenarian. As for Ahmed Idrissi, 76 years old and suffering from a chronic illness for more than 15 years, he wished that this solidarity action be extended to the other health centers in the city.

For one of the volunteer drivers, Ahmed Toumi, 42, the mobilization of small taxis has been experiencing great enthusiasm for a week, and the calls mainly come from people going to dialysis sessions, followed by the elderly with specific needs. "We also receive calls from patients living outside El Jadida (Lamnadla, Moulay Abdellah or Sidi Bouzid), which often forces us to use our own vehicles to meet their demands," said the driver.

Faced with the difficulties inherent in this initiative, the president of the professional organization, Abdelkader Belghit, 54, with more than 25 years of experience, has called on the authorities to show "flexibility and understanding" with the mobilized drivers for this action.