Ibn Sina Hospital in Rabat fight against COVID-19

The Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat, Morocco’s first university hospital, has been at the forefront of the battle waged by the health authorities against the pandemic since 2020 along with other hospitals in the country.

There have been 300 beds reserved specifically for patients with Cvid-19 at the Ibn Sina University Hospital during these two years. As of December 2021, the Rabat university hospital center had treated 7,000 patients suffering from Covid-19 since the confinement began in 2020. This hospital has played an important role in treating and saving most sick people. Unfortunately, dozens of deaths have also occurred at this facility.

Anesthetist Ahlam Chaieri, a resuscitator and one of the linchpins of the hospital, recalls how members of health staff and management responded to an unusual and challenging situation with dedication.

The Ibn Sina University Hospital has, until now, experienced two particularly severe periods during this pandemic. “In 2020, during confinement, the hospital was faced with one of the most serious health crises,” recalls Chaieri.

“The strongest wave took place in November 2020, while the second wave, which we accused in the hospital, took place around August 2021. It was a wave that gave more patients who arrived in intensive care, but it was a shorter wave than the first, ”she said.

With the arrival of the new Omicron variant, the hospital is, according to her, in “the expectation of this variant which is blazing all over the world”. “We are waiting. How will this impact Morocco and how will it impact hospitals and resuscitations? Logically, the virus should evolve by being more and more contagious, but by being less and less virulent, ”said Chaieri.

In response to a question about the pandemic situation, Dr. Chaieri said she was waiting for confirmation of the non-seriousness of the new variant. “In all cases, the hospital is prepared to face all the hypotheses in intensive care. This week, we have seen an increase in contamination with the Omicron variant. Now, the patients have not yet arrived in intensive care, but we could attend their admission around mid-January, ”she says.

Concerning the working attitude of the medical staff, Dr. Ahlam Chairie emphasized the dedication of these professionals. And to add, “It’s our job. We are also living the crisis as a human being”.

For his part, Doctor Hamza Hamzaoui, an emergency physician in the service of Covid-19, assures that his department has received thousands of patients since 2020, many of whom have been able to avoid resuscitation. “My service is the first step through which each Covid patient goes when he arrives at the hospital, either with positive PCR and CT results or suffering from breathing difficulties,” added Hamza Hamzaoui.

He recalls that more than 80% of patients recover. The others are either unvaccinated or patients who have not respected the vaccine campaign.

All the members of the health staff and the administration acted with dedication, in a difficult and new situation, recalls Ahlam Chaieri, anesthetist, resuscitator, considered one of the linchpins of this hospital.

With the arrival of the new Omicron variant, the hospital is, according to her, in “the expectation of this variant which is blazing all over the world.”

“We are waiting. How will this impact Morocco and how will it impact hospitals and resuscitations? Logically, the virus should evolve by being more and more contagious, but by being less and less virulent, ”said Ahlam Chaieri.