The only obstetrician at the Hassan II Hospital in the city of Fnideq left a vacancy in this facility after being transferred to the Regional Hospital in Tetouan (Sania Ramel) about a month ago.

This void expands further with the transfer of the anesthesiologist to Tetouan Hospital about a year ago. This resulted in the suspension of surgical operations at the Hassan II Hospital in Fnideq, placing more pressure on the Regional Hospital in M’diq and also its counterpart in Tetouan in terms of delays in performing operations and lengthening of appointments.

According to testimonies of patients at Fnideq Hospital, the timing of surgical operations in Tetouan or M’diq ranges from a year to a year, and may extend to a year and a half, after stopping these operations in Fnideq.

This situation constitutes a setback in the efforts made in this border town with Ceuta, as about 100,000 local residents have suffered from a deteriorating living situation since the end of 2019, following the closure of the Bab Ceuta crossing, where smuggling activities were flourishing.

Bilal Dawas Rais, a local activist and member of the National Council of the United Socialist Party, says, “The problems related to facilities are gradually, but quickly, turning into a problem related to the entire local community,” explaining that the people of this city, which witnessed violent unrest in 2021, “are patient.” They face adversity, but they hate humiliation if it comes to the way they are perceived by public institutions or facilities,” such as the main hospital in the town.

This problem brings back memories of the death of the child Salma Al-Yassini in the regional hospital center in the city of Tetouan, last March, after she became the victim of a medical error due to complications she suffered while undergoing surgery to remove the tonsils at the Mohammed VI Regional Hospital in M’diq, after she was transferred from Fnideq due to shortages that occurred in its hospital. .

Dawas Rais urges the health authorities to “urgently address the human resources problem” at Fnideq Hospital, to avoid any repercussions that may occur in the event of “an undesirable development.”

It was not possible to take a statement from the health authorities, and the regional representative of the Ministry of Health, Hamed Al-Masmoudi, did not answer questions sent to him by Al-Youm 24.