Morocco Approves "Petition for Life" in Major Cancer Care Victory

This is a first in Morocco. The actors of the "petition for life" can rejoice. Not only have they managed to collect more than 40,000 signatures, but they have also managed to organize listening sessions with representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Budget Directorate at the Ministry of Finance, the General Directorate of Taxes, the National Health Insurance Agency, the Lalla Salma Foundation for Cancer Prevention and Treatment and a number of experts.

It was only last Tuesday that the Petitions Committee submitted its report on the "petition for life" to the Head of Government, Saad-Eddine El Othmani, which, to the delight of cancer patients, received a favorable opinion from the Head of Government. "We have the full will to materialize the suggestions of the Commission’s report after examining them with the competent authorities," said the Head of Government, who stresses that "he will accelerate the process of implementing the proposals and measures formulated in the report," reports le360.

According to the same source, he also added that "the President of the Petitions Committee will be notified in writing of the government’s follow-up to the petition." He expressed his sincere thanks to the initiators and signatories of the petition, stating that "this shows a high patriotic and humanitarian sense and is the eloquent example of participatory democracy." He stressed that cancer is "a disease that affects a significant segment of the population and whose treatment cost extends over a long period, with negative effects that also affect the families and entourage of the patients." The Head of the Executive finally expressed the hope to see such initiatives multiply at the national and local level.

As for Mustapha Ramid, Minister of Human Rights and President of the Petitions Committee, he stated that the grievances of this petition concern early detection of the disease, the availability of medicines, palliative care and the spatial justice component, the right of access to diagnosis and treatment, not to mention the measures related to the financing dedicated to treatment. Omar Cherkaoui, who is one of the initiators of the petition, wrote on his Facebook page his desire to see the government be "up to this humanitarian mission."