Moroccan health care workers reach agreement with government

2008-07-10

Moroccan doctors are back to work following an agreement with the Ministry of Health concerning pay, benefits and recognition of public service.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 10/07/08

[Sarah Touahri] A strike by Morocco's medical workers drew to a close when the health ministry came to an agreement with doctors who want their years of residence to be recognized as years of public service.

A series of strikes by medical workers appears to have drawn to a close following an agreement on Monday (July 7th) between Morocco's Ministry of Health and the National Committee of House and Resident Doctors. The agreement provides medical coverage to doctors, increases their salaries, and instates them as government servants earlier in their residencies.

The first point of the agreement increases the pay doctors receive. Beginning January 1st, 2009, but back-dated to July 1st, 2008, house doctors will receive 2,800 dirhams per month instead of 1,800. Contracted resident doctors will say an increase from 4,700 to 7,000 dirhams per month for their first two years. Non-contracted resident doctors will receive 3,000 dirhams per month, up from 2,000.

Through a special regime similar to that offered by the National Social Welfare Organisation Fund, doctors will also now enjoy health coverage and reimbursements for medical fees. The government will fund each recipient's subscription, at a cost of 600 dirhams per year.

The third major concession in the agreement with the government allows doctors' length of service to be taken into account. Strikers and representatives of the profession had called for doctor's inclusion in the public sector beginning with the first year of residency, not the third year, as is currently the case. The agreement compromised by providing benefits beginning the third year, but at the level of an employee who had already been in the civil service for two or three years.

On the issue of offering equivalent qualifications, no agreement was reached. Doctors in the public sector have demanded equivalence between their diploma and the State Doctorate so that they can enjoy a salary equivalent to that offered to civil servants. The health ministry, however, continues to refuse this demand, insisting that this issue needs to be resolved through a general discussion at the national level.

Despite this sticking point, enough protestors found the agreement sufficient to return to work.

"Following the agreement with the health ministry, we have decided to suspend our strike action," said Jalil El Hangouche, President of the House Doctors' Association at the Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat. "The ministry has followed up on a number of our demands."

Not everyone, however, feels the measures go far enough.

"This cover only applies to doctors," President of the Casablanca Resident Doctors' Association, Abdelhai El Gamri, told Magharebia, referring to the medical coverage the government plans to offer.

"Those involved will have to pay any supplementary contributions to extend the cover to family members," he added.

Not only doctors, but members of the public are relieved to see the strikes stop.

Samir Baladi, a farmer, told Magharebia that on several occasions he has been refused several of his treatments at the university hospital in Rabat because of the strikes.

"Let's hope the strikes will stop now, so I can get my treatment without having to pay out my money for nothing. They were even threatening going on strike in the emergency department," he said. "That's serious."