A special inspection team from Morocco’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection has launched an investigation into two private clinics in Larache that allegedly refused to admit a toddler in critical condition, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The inspection follows a complaint filed by the child’s family with the ministry after the incident, which occurred late at night last weekend and sparked widespread public outrage.
According to information obtained by Hespress AR, the inspection team, comprising specialists from the ministry’s regional and central inspectorates arrived in Larache on Thursday to gather evidence and determine the circumstances surrounding the case.
Sources said the investigation, which remains confidential, has already identified what investigators describe as several “violations and shortcomings” in the way the two clinics handled the emergency.
One of the clinics was reportedly subjected to particularly extensive questioning by inspectors.
The team is expected to submit its findings to the ministry’s Inspector General, who will then forward the report to Health Minister Amine Tahraoui for possible disciplinary action.
According to the sources, one of the clinics could face temporary suspension or closure, as it had previously been the subject of complaints and official recommendations requiring operational improvements and the installation of essential medical equipment that inspectors reportedly found had not been implemented.
The case is receiving close attention from the Ministry of Health in coordination with other institutions, the sources added, and could lead to similar inspections in other cities where private healthcare facilities have been accused of refusing emergency patients.
Authorities are reportedly concerned that some private clinics decline to admit patients in critical condition to avoid potential legal liability should complications arise during treatment.
The incident involved a family visiting Larache from Rabat when their 14-month-old son suffered a medical emergency late at night.
According to the family’s complaint, the child developed a high fever, excessive drooling and became nearly unconscious.
The parents first sought treatment at two private clinics but were allegedly told that no pediatrician was available and that the on-duty physician could not examine the child without a pediatric specialist.
In the complaint, the child’s mother said the family’s pediatrician was available by telephone and had offered to speak directly with the attending physician to explain the child’s condition and provide medical guidance, but the request was allegedly refused.
Left without assistance, the family took the child to the public Lalla Meriem Hospital in Larache, where emergency staff reportedly admitted and treated him immediately.
The mother subsequently filed a complaint with both the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the General Secretariat of the Government, accusing the clinics of refusing to provide emergency medical care to a child in urgent need.
She called for an investigation into whether the clinics violated their legal and professional obligations to admit emergency cases and whether their actions constituted a breach of professional duty or a failure to assist a person in danger under Moroccan law.
The complaint also urges authorities to take the necessary measures to prevent similar incidents and safeguard patients’ right, particularly that of children, to timely emergency medical care.
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