The newly appointed Moroccan Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb, has firmly instructed hospitals around the country to change methods of attending to patients in need of urgent medical care.
In a circular addressed to directors and presidents of regional and provincial hospitals and health centres across Morocco, Taleb urged Moroccan health practitioners to charge patients in emergency situations only after providing medical treatment.
His emphasis is on the ethical necessity for Moroccan hospitals to respect the fundamental medical rule of putting the patient’s life before any other consideration.
The article speaks of doctors’ and hospitals’ ethical obligation to receive any patient, injured or pregnant in emergency situations. The article adds that patients should be hospitalized when their cases so require, and even when there are not enough hospital beds.
Payment can only be discussed following provision of the necessary medical care.
To avoid misunderstandings, however, the note emphasized that the insistence on only paying after all medical assistance has been provided does not exonerate patients from paying their medical bills.
This news comes after reports of the health ministry’s plans to deal with Morocco’s persisting public health issues.
Earlier this month, Minister Taleb, while presenting his department’s budget and capacity building projects for 2020, made it clear that the resources available are not enough to tackle the country’s numerous and increasing public health issues.