08.27.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:21 pm by nadia
Aïcha is an 11-year-old girl living in Morocco who has done something no other girl or woman in her family has accomplished. She is the first female member in her family to attend school. She is in the fourth grade.
Her sister Meryem, at 16, is one of the 60 per cent of girls in Morocco who, a decade ago, could not have imagined entering school.
Times are changing for Aïcha. Having enrolled at the age of seven, she is doing very well and has successfully passed every grade. Despite the expense of sending their daughter to school here in Morroco, Aïcha’s family has decided that illiteracy for their child would be far more costly.
It takes community to keep girls in classrooms
Aïcha goes to a school that was built in her village. The year she entered school, the community, with UNICEF assistance, installed village water sources. Having water closer to homes meant that women and girls spent less time carrying it. A young female facilitator of women’s literacy classes also encouraged the installation and use of modern household stoves, reducing the time spent collecting wood, and thus providing more time for classwork.
The school director helped Aïcha’s enrollment, accepting her into the school even though she did not have a birth certificate. He also helped her parents to get all their children officially registered.
The school provides meals through another government programme. At first the community distributed sandwiches in the dusty school yard. Later, it gave out more substantial meals. As a result, Aïcha’s stomach no longer rumbles and she remains alert and attentive in class.
Dreams and determination
Other factors threaten Aïcha’s education in spite of the child-friendly environment created in school. This year, the long-awaited rain fell to turn parched land into luscious fields of green. Lucky for Morocco. Worrisome for Aïcha.
Abundant fields mean that all family members need to help by working the land, caring for the house and minding the younger children. She has already seen many of her friends absent from class.
Aïcha may face many obstacles but she is determined to finish school, even if it means getting up earlier to help with daily chores. She wants a better life than her mother and elder sister who work from dawn to dusk. In Morocco, the legal age for a girl to marry is 15, but school has shown her a different way. Aïcha wants to delay marriage and become a teacher.
The primary school has given her much more than dreams. The reality is that her life, and the life of the community, has been enriched by coming together to make literacy and numeracy possible for girls and boys. By offering health services and adult literacy classes, the students and their parents are receiving the support they need for the future.
The teacher, trained in health care by UNICEF and the Moroccan health and education ministries, monitors the children’s hygiene, watches out for symptoms of illness and encourages parents to take their children to the health centre located about 20 kilometres away.
Aïcha has a long road to travel if she is to fulfil her dream of becoming a teacher, but she is not making the trip alone. Her family and community helped pave the way by joining the Moroccan Government, UNICEF and its other partners to build a learning environment for girls and boys.
The formula was simple: Erect a safe, clean building. Add education, water, sanitation and health care. Then top it off with children.
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/morocco_18015.html
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A humanitarian group of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will finance over 100 open heart surgeries under a one-year program for treatment of Morocco’s needy cardiac patients, Emirates News Agency reported on Sunday.
The program was launched in accordance with an agreement between the Emirates World Heart Group (EWHG) sponsored by the UAE Red Crescent and Morocco’s Health Ministry and Sheikh Zayed Hospital.
Under the program, which gives Morocco a special attention this year, more than 100 open heart and catheterization surgeries will be conducted, while 500 patients will be screened and treated and 150 paramedics will be trained.
The one-year UAE-Morocco program will also involve prominent international cardiologists from the UAE, Morocco, France, Switzerland, Canada, the United States, Egypt and Argentine.
The nonprofit EWHG brings together some of the world’s high profile heart surgeons and provides a multiprogram in heart care to needy patients around the world.
Working with local and international medical staff under the sponsorship of the UAE Red Crescent, EWHG has conducted surgical and training programs in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan and Bahrain.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/6248308.html
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08.24.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:44 pm by nadia
23 August 2007
RABAT, Morocco — Latifa, more than seven months pregnant, awaits a prenatal consultation with her gynaecologist in a spacious, breezy meeting room in the National Hospital for Maternal Health Orangers in Morocco’s coastal capital. As the 22-year-old shifts in her chair, she chats with a neighbour, who has also come for a pre-natal check up. The atmosphere is relaxed, with none of the hurried intensity of many maternal hospitals. Nearby in another waiting room, women watch a video on natural births and baby care.
Asked how many times she has come here for pre-natal exams, Latifa reaches into her bag and pulls out a small, official-looking blue booklet. “This is my fourth and final visit before giving birth,” she beams.
The blue book provides medical documentation
The booklet documents all pre- and post-natal visits and includes information on previous pregnancies and notations about complications or medications, among other things. In addition to documenting her maternal health history, the booklet contains general information on pregnancy and motherhood.
The booklet, provided by the Ministry of Health, was developed with assistance from UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. Most women of reproductive age using the public health system now have one of these little blue books.
Latifa, who is pregnant with her first child, is satisfied with the care she is receiving at the national hospital, which she says has better services and more sensitive staff than private clinics. “Private clinics in this country want to give you a C-section whether you need one or not. Here the services are free and the quality is very good.”
In a nearby office another pregnant young woman, named Keltoun, is finishing her third pre-natal consultation. Dr. N. Boulehanni, her doctor, has worked in this facility for five years. Taking off his glasses, and leaning back in his office chair, he explains that the main services offered by the hospital include prenatal consultations, gynaecological exams and emergency obstetric care.
Slow but steady progress in reducing maternal deaths
This facility is the main centre for obstetric care in the entire country. Every day, on average, personnel deliver 23 babies. Although some require Caesarean sections or other interventions, most are normal births. During the past four years, health workers recorded only two maternal deaths. Both were rural women suffering from severe haemorrhage who arrived too late to be saved.
Two deaths in four years is a vast improvement compared to the past. At 220 deaths per 100,000 live births (2004 figure), maternal mortality in Morocco is still considered high, but the rate was 50 per cent higher 15 years ago. Other indicators are showing signs of progress as well. Since 1990, skilled attendance at birth has increased from 40 per cent to 60 per cent, and perinatal care has risen from 50 to 80 per cent.
UNFPA has played a critical role in improving maternal health in Morocco. “The Fund has improved our capacity to handle obstetric emergencies,” says Dr. Boulehanni. “This has helped us cut back on maternal deaths and prevented a lot of pregnancy-related ill health.”
Dr. Radouane Belouali, the UNFPA programme officer in charge of maternal health, attributes the high death rate country-wide to the number of maternal deaths in rural areas, where services are poor, or non-existent.
“We still have very uneven access to quality reproductive health services in many rural areas,” says Dr. Belouali. “But UNFPA, working with the Ministry of Health, is putting a lot of resources into training rural midwives so they can recognize complications and refer women to regional hospitals or clinics for appropriate care.”
But here in Rabat, Latifa, who has finished her last examination before giving birth, feels confident that all will go well. “We know it’s a baby girl,” she says proudly. “My husband and I are both delighted that I am having a normal pregnancy and that I will deliver in this hospital with such wonderful facilities.”
http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=992
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The current UNFPA country programme in Morocco focuses on providing services to nine of the country’s poorest provinces. These provinces are home to 4.2 million people, with two thirds of them living in poor, underserved rural communities.
The role of UNFPA is twofold, explains Dr. Belouali. First it aims to improve the quality of emergency obstetric care, and second, to train staff – doctors, nurses and midwives – to deliver quality services in underserved areas and refer complicated pregnancies to a higher level of care.
Morocco still has a difficult road ahead in improving maternal health services in remote, rural provinces, but the Government has launched a major national initiative for human development, supported by a consortium of major donors. At the core of this ambitious plan is more investment in human health, including reproductive health, education (especially for girls) and micro-finance schemes designed to generate jobs.
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08.14.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:03 pm by nadia
Des congressmen rencontrent le Premier ministre
L’accord relatif au Millenium Challenge Account qui sera signé dans quelques semaines entre le Maroc et les Etats-Unis a été au centre des discussions hier à Rabat entre le Premier ministre, Driss Jettou, et une délégation de congressmen américains. « Nos discussions avec la délégation américaine ont porté sur le renforcement des relations entre nos deux pays notamment en ce qui concerne l’accord relatif au Millenium Challenge Account qui sera signé incessamment.
Cet accord vise à renforcer les efforts fournis par le Maroc dans le domaine du développement humain », a déclaré le Premier ministre.
D.Jettou s’est dit « extrêmement heureux de voir aboutir cet accord qui vise à appuyer des secteurs importants comme l’agriculture, l’artisanat et la pêche ». Et d’ajouter que les deux parties ont examiné également les possibilités de renforcement de l’appui fourni dans le cadre de l’USAID (Agence américaine pour le développement international) et plus particulièrement le volet relatif aux micro-crédits.
L’accord de libre-échange entre le Royaume du Maroc et les Etats-Unis a été également au menu. Il a été question, selon Jettou, « de discuter comment tirer le meilleur parti de cet accord dont les retombées bénéfiques sur le Maroc se font déjà sentir en termes d’investissement dans les domaines de l’offshoring et de l’industrie automobile ». Pour sa part, la congresswoman, Nita Lowey, qui conduisait la délégation américaine s’est montrée enthousiaste par rapport aux opportunités de coopération entre les deux pays.
« Nous sommes venus écouter et discuter comment travailler ensemble pour aider le Maroc à relever les défis du développement. Nous allons continuer à supporter les efforts du Maroc ».
En outre, Mme Nita Lowey a indiqué que les Etats-Unis allaient continuer à aider le Royaume que ce soit dans le cadre de Millenium Challenge Account ou des projets initiés par l’USAID.
Elle s’est dite impressionnée par les retombées positives des micro-crédits octroyés par l’Agence américaine de développement international. « J’ai pu constater comment des crédits permettent à des familles entières de développer leur condition et de lutter contre la pauvreté ».
Il est à signaler par ailleurs que la visite de la délégation américaine (elle comprend outre Mme Nita Lowey, six congressmen et plusieurs hautes personnalités, notamment des experts et conseillers) survient après que le directoire en charge du programme du Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) ait entériné, lors d’une réunion tenue jeudi 9 août, le programme Compact en faveur du Maroc. Ce Compact MCC, étalé sur cinq années, octroie au Royaume une enveloppe de l’ordre de 697,5 millions de dollars.
Et ce, en guise de soutien pour la lutte contre la pauvreté, mais aussi pour appuyer les efforts en matière de développement économique.
Abdelwahed Rmiche | LE MATIN
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08.13.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:21 pm by nadia
Rabat, Morocco – The Board of Directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) approved an assistance of US$697.5 million for Morocco, the biggest amount ever granted by this US Development Fund, the official news agency, MAP, reported here.
This assistance, spread over five years, is aimed at stimulating economic growth by increasing productivity and improving employment in high potential sectors.
It will help increase Morocco’s GNP by about US$118 million per annum aimed at benefiting directly 600,000 Moroccan families, MAP said.
An amount of US$300.9 million will be allotted to arboriculture projects stretching over thousands of hectares in the north, centre and south of Morocco to improve the growing of fruit trees.
An allocation of US$116.17 million will be devoted to the modernisation of all small-scale fishing activities, the creation of twenty or so landing an reception points along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, in addition to the construction or rehabilitation of fish halls and wholesale markets in several ports.
The assistance also provides for an amount of US$111.87 million for the promotion of a project called “artisan and the Medina of Fes” aimed at valorising ties between the sectors of handicrafts and tourism.
Some US$46.2 million will be devoted to the improvement of the financial services offered to small-scale enterprises and help micro credit associations to restructure to offer to their clients other services than loans, while US$33.85 million will support enterprises providing for the reduction of unemployment among young graduates.
An amount of about US$88.5 million will be devoted to the monitoring of these programmes, MAP adds.
To benefit from this assistance from the Millennium account, candidate countries must adopt measures in the area of governance, health, education and the economy.
Rabat – 10/08/2007
Panapress
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08.10.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:13 pm by nadia
. UNICEF
A 1994 UNICEF document entitled Note on the health sector in Morocco was distributed to the participants. This presented the work of UNICEF in the health sector in Morocco and reviewed the cooperation of the country with UNICEF. It included:
• the programming process
• the thrusts of this cooperative programme during the period 1992–1996. The principles of the programme are in line with the priority problems affecting children and women as shown by national surveys, the priorities defined by the economic and social policy of the Government, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Declaration of the World Summit, the National Plan of Action, and the UNICEF medium-term plan.
The country programme is structured into specific programmes covering the following areas: basic health, education, integrated basic services in rural areas, children in particularly difficult circumstances in the periurban environment, planning, advocacy and social mobilization.
The basic health programme consists of five projects which have been conducted using an integrated primary health care approach: Expanded Programme of Immunization, Diarrhoeal Disease Control Programme, Acute Respiratory Infection Control Programme, Promotion of Safe Motherhood and Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme.
The education, integrated basic services in rural areas, children in difficult circumstances, planning, advocacy and social mobilization programmes aim at protecting children and mothers in difficult circumstances and at facilitating their access to the minimum services required for human development.
The health system has made major progress over the past 20 years and the main indicators have significantly improved. However, such progress conceals great disparities:
• population policy—levels remain high;
• persistence of waterborne diseases;
• persistence of tuberculosis, rheumatic fever and measles;
• high maternal mortality rate resulting from pregnancy and delivery.
The main bottlenecks have been identified and the Government’s efforts are focused on improving health coverage, developing human resources, ensuring a better distribution of public and private facilities, increasing the share of the national budget allocated to health and improving the distribution of financial resources. Moreover, the managerial process is moving towards greater decentralization of health programmes, and the vertical nature of health activities is moving towards the development of a dynamic planning–programming process for a better strategy aimed at reducing inequities and making optimal use of national resources and external assistance. The effective mobilization of intersectoral support, mobilization of the community and the establishment of a coordination mechanism between government and donors are complementary elements which are essential for the success of national plans to meet basic health needs and ensure equitable access to health care.
E. UNFPA
UNFPA, in collaboration with the Moroccan Government, has established a cooperation programme which aims at supporting action taken by the Government to improve the social and economic status of the population (particularly the rural population), to promote the quality of maternal and child health and family planning services (MCH/ FP), to ensure higher rates of contraceptive use, and to better inform the public and raise people’s awareness about the importance of improving the health of the nation. The focus is on the interdependence between population increase, its distribution and the environment.
In the area of MCH/FP, the programme objective is to strengthen the Government’s plan to improve the quality of MCH/FP services and facilitate access to these services in order to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates as well as fertility rates of high-risk groups.
Activities are being undertaken by the Ministry of Public Health in some of the provinces that are the poorest and most difficult to reach; they aim to enhance the quality of MCH/FP services provided from established facilities. They also seek to improve supervision by standardizing procedures for reporting and follow-up methods, to encourage more frequent and well organized supervision visits, and to integrate family planning into preventive health care.
In order to establish effective services for information, education and communication (IEC) in family planning within the Ministry of Public Health, it is planned to develop an integrated community strategy through: the production of improved advertising materials on MCH/FP services intended for illiterate or semiliterate women, including traditional birth attendants; the production of IEC materials and visual aids that can be used in health facilities; and the integration of postnatal counselling and family planning into the programme on breast-feeding and nutrition.
To assist this governmental programme, UNFPA provides support to the Moroccan Family Planning Association in the development of IEC strategies intended for young and newly married people, combining awareness-raising, information about MCH/FP and the promotion of women’s status.
UNFPA also collaborates with the Ministry of Public Health in improving and extending the decentralized computerized system on MCH/FP and in the analysis of data on health and population derived from the 1992 population and health survey. Moreover, support is currently provided to the National Institute of Health Administration to improve the quality of training provided by the Institute in the field of logistics of management in health and family planning services.
Finally, UNFPA contributes to the national programme on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) by integrating modules on sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS into the training of health workers, either pre-employment or during in-service training and by designing information materials on AIDS.
Thus, during 1992 and1993, UNFPA supported a comprehensive programme amounting to US$ 17 million, out of which US$ 12 million were provided from UNFPA’s regular budget and distributed over a five-year period starting in January 1992 in order to assist the Moroccan Government in achieving its objectives in the areas of population and development. If UNFPA financial situation allows, the balance (i.e. US$ 5 million) will be provided by the Fund. Otherwise, UNFPA will try to secure the funds that are not available through multibilateral and other sources.
F.1 UNDP
The strategy proposed by UNDP is to improve the living conditions of underprivileged populations in rural and periurban areas in order to ensure sustainable development of the health sector in Morocco. Particular attention is given to the fundamental relationship between good health and safe water supply and adequate sanitation.
The basis for action in this strategy is outlined below.
a) Institutional reforms and strengthening of national capacities in the field of human, technical and managerial resources are needed. This requires plans for strengthening the action of the Government including:
• capacity building;
• sectoral policies defining the roles and responsibilities of the agencies concerned with the management of health, water and sanitation services;
• involvement of the private sector and better coordination with public sector agencies;
• assistance to local communities, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and sanitation services in the evaluation of the roles, responsibi-lities and existing expertise (support on a multidisciplinary, intersectoral and decentralized basis);
• establishment of sound programmes for human resources management.
b) promotion of an economic and social environment likely to give households the individual opportunity to improve their health.
c) encouragement of public policies aimed at achieving a more satisfactory distribution of governmental public health expenditure through:
• an intervention taking place before the thinking exercise at the national level but at a later stage in sectoral planning (better cost–effectiveness ratio);
• enlargement of the base level to a maximum in order to ensure access of the poor to basic health care while improving the quality of care and encouraging projects of a preventative nature;
• greater participation of all providers and recipients in the sector;
• encouragement of the decentralization of public services and effective reduction in the concentration of these services;
• establishment of an effective and efficient health insurance system;
• enhancement of the capabilities of women in the field of education/information and prevention and care
• (MCH/AIDS);
• extension of the initiatives and programmes of technical cooperation among developing countries within the Arab Maghreb Union.
• more extensive cooperation in the field of resource mobilization for priority areas of the Ministry of Public Health.
Since 1986, UNDP has cofinanced the following nine projects in the areas of drinking water supply, sanitation and health within the framework of its fifth program-
ming cycle for Morocco: strengthening the capacities of the public corporations and the National Office for Drinking Water, exploration of groundwater, hospital maintenance I and II, wastewater reuse, drinking water economy, masterplan for drinking water in rural areas, management support to the National AIDS Programme, master-plan for liquid waste disposal.
F.2 WFP
Although WFP does not have any specific project with the Ministry of Public Health, it has launched important interventions in the health sector. These involved:
• provision of food to 840 000 schoolchildren, mainly in underprivileged rural areas. This figure is currently decreasing but 1 400 000 children were covered during the 1991/1992 school year;
• provision of food aid to 10 000 trainees in the OFPPT and food rations to the workers involved in WFP-supported rural projects which represent a significant nutritional input.
WFP is currently collaborating with WHO/Rabat with a view to implementing a project to combat malnutrition targeted at the vulnerable groups of the population, especially women and children.
Discussion
Following the presentation by the various agencies of their collaborative programmes in the field of public health, a general discussion was initiated, the main lines of which are summarized below.
Morocco’s assets
In view of Morocco’s economic performance, its political stability, its many competent executives, the presence of a United Nations system for development adequately represented by the health sector, and a political commitment at the highest level towards an overall improvement of the health status of the Moroccan population, Morocco presents the ideal profile for a joint, organized action of NGOs, donors, development banks (including the World Bank and the AfDB) and bilateral cooperation agencies in order to find new and appropriate means to:
• stimulate the eradication of epidemic, endemic and other diseases;
• foster the improvements in nutrition, housing, drinking water supply and sanitation, working conditions and all other environmental health factors;
• promote cooperation between the scientific and professional groups contributing to progress in the field of health;
• participate in the implementation of recommendations of international conventions and agreements on health matters;
• strengthen national capacities in planning, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of national health programmes;
• reduce the risks of environmental pollution, with its devastating effects on human health;
• stimulate and guide health research; help impart a clear and informed view on health to the underprivileged segments of the population;
• increase women’s involvement in decision-making on population matters, MCH and economic development;
• face the AIDS pandemic through IEC activities.
WHO and the United Nations system
In the field of health, WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, WFP, FAO, and UNESCO have committed themselves, either directly or indirectly, to reach a consensus on interagency cooperation and, through the note on the national strategy (in preparation), to consolidate their efforts for strengthening their support to deal with the thorny health-related problems in Morocco.
WHO and the United Nations agencies concerned have the unifying moral and technical strength to galvanize, guide and support Morocco in the institution of its policy for health for all by the year 2000.
Statement for the press
The ongoing escalation of violence resulting from the military occupation of Palestinian territories and the ongoing assaults on several cities in the West Bank has caused serious humanitarian situations. The targeting of civilians and health workers, as well as health facilities, and prevention of safe passage of ambulances and medical personnel performing medical duties represent serious violations of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions.
The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean draws the attention of the international community to the serious consequences of cutting off the electricity and water supply, which not only cripples the population but prevents hospitals and other medical facilities from carrying out their vital functions and increases the risk of epidemics.
The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is deeply concerned and disturbed by this unprecedented situation and calls upon the international community to take appropriate measures to ensure the protection of health facilities, safe and free access for medical personnel and emergency medical and other humanitarian supplies, and the strict application of the Geneva Conventions.
Source: WHO EMRO Press release No. 6
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A.2 WHO
A document prepared for the meeting by the Office of the WHO Representative in Morocco was distributed to the various participants; it outlined the following items for colleagues of the other agencies of the United Nations system:
• WHO — its role and objectives
• WHO’s social goal — health for all
• Ministry of Health/WHO cooperation for the implementation of the national strategy for Health For All by the Year 2000:
• the national health strategy and trends in the main health indicators;
• strengthening of disease prevention and control programmes;
• strengthening of national capabilities to analyse and take into consideration the interdependence of health, environment and development.
• mobilization of intersectoral and multidisciplinary action to promote the health of the most vulnerable and underprivileged groups;
• strengthening of the national infrastructure in order to ensure access of all communities to health care, especially to the essential components of primary health care;
• promotion of optimal management of financial and human resources for health;
• strengthening of community action so as to involve the community actively in health development and encouragement of sectors other than the health sector and all potential partners and consideration of their contribution;
• encouragement of the transfer of knowledge on proven, cost-effective technologies and their application where they are most needed, and sharing of health, technical and scientific information.
Cooperation between the Ministry of Public Health and WHO is governed by WHO’s Eighth General Programme of Work and details of this cooperation are provided in the report of the joint programme review mission. This joint mission takes place every two years in Morocco and recommends that activities selected under WHO regular budget (US$ 3 million) and extrabudgetary funds (US$ 1 million) should be planned and implemented within the framework of the national strategy for Health For All by the Year 2000 detailed above.
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The main United Nations Development Agencies in Morocco — World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Food Programme (WFP) — decided, during the interagency meeting held on 6 January 1994, to carry out a pilot project to review the work of the specialized agencies and programmes within the framework of their cooperation in the area of public health.
The main partners met on Wednesday 12 January 1994 at UNESCO Headquarters to present their strategy for cooperation in the key area of public health in Morocco. This project, which is a prelude to intensified cooperation in the United Nations system within the context of the national strategy for a sustainable development policy, will be followed by other reviews in areas such as agriculture, culture, education, etc.
The meeting was held under the auspices of the WHO Representative in Morocco, and with the participation of the UNDP Resident Representative in Morocco as well as UNESCO, FAO, UNICEF, UNFPA and WFP representatives, their assistants and the officers in charge of health programmes in these agencies.
The programme of work of the meeting included the following items.
A.1 National strategy and its orientations
The Ministry of Health’s report, Health in Morocco — development strategy, published in 1993 and the documents distributed during a press briefing held on 6 January 1994 by His Excellency the Minister of Public Health, Professor A. Harouchi, who presented the main objectives of the Ministry of Public Health’s Plan of Action for 1994, were selected as the basic and most up-to-date documents for any future concerted action of the agencies and programmes of the United Nations in the field of health.
The medium-term programme of work adopted by the Ministry of Public Health, an outline of which had been presented in parliament, has the following objectives:
• improvement of the health status of the population;
• coordination of the health activities of the various sectors involved in health care provision (public and private sectors, mutual benefit insurance system);
• regulation of the health development of the country to ensure better equity in the distribution of, and access to the various health care facilities;
• strengthening of the financing mechanism of the health sector.
Among these medium-term objectives, the following were selected by the Ministry of Public Health for the 1994 Plan of Action:
• strengthening of public health and preventive activities;
• improvement of the effectiveness of existing facilities;
• extension of health coverage;
• improvement of the financing system;
• other supportive measures such as administrative restructuring, health map, national health information system, improvement of drug availability, motivation of human resources, private sector, etc.
http://www.emro.who.int/publications/EMHJ/0701/01.htm
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By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 09/08/2007
The new Dar Al Mouwaten facilities provide citizens from the country’s poorest areas with social assistance, meeting space, and training to help bring them in step with mainstream society.
Local communities in Morocco have come together to fight the social exclusion of their most vulnerable citizens. With support from the National Initiative for Human Development, 80 “Dar Al Mouwaten” citizen centres have been established throughout Morocco since 2005, particularly in underprivileged districts and rural communes. According to the Communications Department of the Ministry of Social Development, Family and Solidarity, the creation of these institutions is the result of community initiatives, to respond to citizens’ needs for meeting places, consultation, and work.
The government determined that existing social organizations (youth clubs, women’s clubs, culture centres and training centres) could not satisfy all the social needs of a diverse and growing population and decided to launch the “citizen centre” programme.
The mission of these centres is to provide information and orientation on social and administrative organisations (health, training, micro-credit, etc.). The centres offer social mediation for those in difficulty, education courses for adults, non-formal education for young people, academic support and citizenship education.
Deputy Director for Social Action with the National Mutual Aid programme (Entraide Nationale) Abdeljalil Cherkaoui said that the Dar Al Mouwaten projects are part of a national strategy to fight poverty and social exclusion, and to promote culture and education and establish partnerships with civil society.
Rachid Allali, provincial delegate of National Mutual Aid for Errachidia, affirmed that the Dar Al Mouwaten is intended to provide an interactive space, concentrating community-based politics on the development of social action and the promotion of socially responsible governance that responds to the needs of the target population.
Mohamed Sarghini, a young law student, told Magharebia that the creation of the citizen centre in Ain Sebaa last June was a praise-worthy initiative: “It’s a first for the disadvantaged people of the district who, from now on, will be able to benefit from workshops on social action, awareness-raising and orientation. Furthermore, Dar Al Mouwaten guarantees the organisation of meetings and debates to integrate the inhabitants of Hay Mohammadi-Ain Sebaa into the social fabric.”
Many are expressing their satisfaction with the creation of this structure. Samira Benabbou, who holds a degree in economics, pointed out that besides these educational benefits, the centre offers employment-seekers and young people training, to facilitate their entry into the working world, particularly skills training geared toward television professions and new information and communication technologies.
The citizen centre also allows women to learn a trade. This was the case for Hadda Bent Mohammed, who is in the process of learning sewing at the citizen centre of Casablanca. “My husband is a taxi driver and his income is limited. I am learning sewing here to be able to help him support the home. I have no problem because I leave my son in the citizen centre’s day-care facility,” she said.
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