Tragedy in Morocco: Woman Gives Birth on Street, Baby Dies; Health Ministry Launches Investigation

In a statement, the ministry indicates that it has ordered the opening of an investigation following "this painful incident", which will aim to elucidate the circumstances of the childbirth of this woman who gave birth to a stillborn child at the entrance to the Ain Jemaa center.

An autopsy will also be performed on the fetus in accordance with the instructions of the competent Prosecutor’s Office in order to determine the exact causes of death, the statement from the Ministry of Health said.

The first investigations showed that the husband presented himself at 3 a.m. on Wednesday at the center and was denied access because the establishment does not serve as an on-call medical center. An ambulance was then made available to him for his transfer to a public hospital, which the husband categorically refused.

Around 7 a.m., the wife presented herself again at the entrance to the health center, this time accompanied by two women, "in a state of premature childbirth and gave birth to a stillborn child before accessing it," the ministry said. She "received all the medical services provided by the medical staff of the center before being transferred to the Banio maternity hospital in Meknes where she received the necessary care and is currently in good health."