Morocco Slips in Global Health Security Rankings, Struggles with Pandemic Preparedness

Thus, the kingdom has lost two places compared to the 2019 edition of this ranking. This is the conclusion of the new Global Health Security (GHS) Index 2021 report, which evaluates the capacities of 195 countries to prepare for epidemics and pandemics, released on December 8, reports H24info.

This poor ranking is due to Morocco’s difficulties in dealing with "antimicrobial resistance", in addition to "surveillance and alert mechanisms" and the capacity of its "hospitals and care centers to care for patients during epidemics". The "weak capacities" of health personnel to "work and respond to epidemics" are also cited.

However, Morocco has been commended for its Covid-19 vaccination campaign, after obtaining the full score, 100%.

For the record, the Health Security Index is established by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, the Nuclear Threat Initiative and the Economist Intelligence Unit. The GHS index is divided into six categories aimed at assessing the ability of countries "to prevent, detect and respond to biological threats" as well as the "factors that can hinder or improve this capacity, such as health systems, standards and risks".