For fairly obvious reasons, Morocco’s pork production sector has never been one of the country’s sectoral heavyweights. In a nation with a majority Muslim population and minority Jewish community, farmers catered mainly to European tourists, producing an estimated 270 tons of pork annually, generating around $1.48 million, according to 2008 figures. In a normal year, pigs would be a peripheral part of government planning, but since the emergence of A(H1N1) flu, better known as swine flu, the public health sector has received extra funding and ramped up its prevention programs.
Unlike Egypt, where the government responded to the outbreak by calling for the slaughter of the country’s 300,000 pigs, Morocco’s response has been more measured. There have been no calls to eliminate the pig farms and their estimated 5,000 pigs. The World Health Organization said killing the animals has no effect on the spread of swine flu since they do not transmit the virus. As of July 9, there were 21 confirmed cases in Morocco, according to the Maghreb Arab Press, though only two of these remain in hospital.
Pandemic preparation
Swine flu may strain Morocco’s already stretched healthcare resources, but the government has earmarked $105 million for the operation. The funds will be channeled to programs that prevent the disease from entering the country and to individual protection plans. The government has established tracking systems nationwide. The first follows airline passengers from countries with confirmed cases. Thermal scanners, which can detect elevated skin temperatures, a possible sign of infection, have been installed at entry points. In addition, the Ministry of Public Health has launched a public information campaign. Swine flu can be treated effectively if identified quickly, so making information available may prevent panic as well as save lives.
Overall healthcare indicators in the country are good and public spending is rising, but a shortage of doctors, a lack of access to health care for poorer citizens and modern lifestyles are starting to take their toll. A third of the population over the age of 20 has high blood pressure and nearly 7 percent of the same age group also suffers from diabetes. The Strategy 2008 to 2012 plan includes for the first time provisions to outsource medical services, with the private sector billing the government, according to Dr. Ennaceri Mimoun, head of the hospitals division at Morocco’s Ministry of Public Health.
The ministry has agreed that the national association of nephrologists (kidney specialists) can provide dialysis for patients on waiting lists in public hospitals, and Mimoun thinks that this can be extended to other services. Mimoun estimates a deficit of about 9,000 doctors in the public sector, compounded by the departure of highly experienced doctors, who “gravitate towards the comfort of working in the private sector.”
With the increased links between the two, however, doctors can treat poorer patients, while still maintaining their incomes.
Further funding from non-governmental organizations and foreign countries plays an important role in improving the sector. A new initiative launched in the Fes-Boulemane region will help to treat children with cancer. The regional division of the Ministry of Public Health and the local branch of l’Avenir, an association of parents and friends of children with cancer, have partnered to supply medicines, equipment, laboratory tests and X-rays. The European Union is planning to give $120 million for development. According to the head of the EU Commission in Rabat, Ambassador Bruno Dethomas, these funds will help sectors of the population who may not have access to health insurance coverage.
In addition to addressing the needs of its own population, the kingdom has the challenge of providing international calibre services for tourists. Currently, Moroccan law states that clinics must be owned and operated by Moroccan citizens. As visitor numbers increase and global sicknesses like swine flu move quickly across national borders, the government may need to allow foreign participation in the health sector, opening the door for new partnerships and investments.
