Calls for investigation into death of community infant while seeking treatment

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights called on the Ministry of Health and Social Protection to open an “urgent and thorough” investigation into the death of a 7-month-old infant, after he was admitted to the regional hospital in Driouch due to fever.

According to the local branch of the association in the province of Driouch, the infant, whose family resides in Belgium, “was suffering from a severe fever and difficulty breathing, which necessitated his transfer to the regional hospital in Driouch at seven o’clock in the evening on Saturday, August 10, 2024, but he did not receive any first aid due to the absence of a doctor to examine his condition.”

The same source explained in a statement that “the infant breathed his last on the way to a private clinic in Nador, amidst the shock of his family,” considering that this incident raises “the responsibility of the regional hospital in Driouch for not doing its duty in providing first aid to the child.”

The statement by the human rights association described what happened as “a serious and unjustified failure to perform professional duties that requires accountability to ensure that similar tragedies are not repeated in the future,” stressing that this incident reveals “part of the suffering endured by the community residing abroad upon their return to the homeland during the summer,” and highlights “the falsity of the slogans associated with programs directed to care for this category of Moroccan citizens by official bodies.”

Accordingly, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in Driouch called on the Ministry of Health and Social Protection to “assume its full responsibility in opening an urgent and in-depth investigation into this painful incident with the aim of revealing the full truth about what happened, determining responsibilities, and informing public opinion of its results.”

In addition, the human rights organization called on the relevant ministry to “take urgent action to examine the irregularities” and “respect the commitments related to expanding the scope of health services provided (…) in all health centers in the territorial communities of the region, in order to stop the suffering of citizens as a result of the severe shortage recorded in the health system in the region.”