Morocco’s COVID-19 Home Care Plan Sparks Controversy Among Medical Experts

In a letter addressed to the Minister of Health, the Moroccan Society of Emergency Physicians (SMMU) and the Moroccan Society of Anesthesia and Intensive Care (SMAR) challenged the content of the circular issued by the ministry on August 13. According to the two specialized medical corporations, this circular reorganizes the outpatient management of suspected and confirmed Covid-19 cases.

It aims to increase the virus detection capacity by implementing screening activities for cases at the level of Primary Health Care Facilities (ESSP). For emergency physicians and anesthesiologists, this circular has generated a lot of discussion among experts and direct field workers, as to its irrationality in relation to scientific data and the socio-cultural reality of Moroccans.

In their correspondence, these doctors disapproved of the Ministry of Health’s decision to use the rapid IgM/IgG tests for the diagnosis of suspected cases. According to the SMMU and the SMAR, Minister Aït Taleb should have reserved them "exclusively" for epidemiological surveillance, and in addition to the PCR tests (or virological tests).

Consequently, the two Societies call on the government member to opt for clear approaches, responding to international scientific data, and to take into account the opinion of national experts and direct field workers. They also invite him to further involve all practitioners, private or public, with the release of drug prescriptions, according to the protocol currently in force.