Moroccan doctors escalate sectoral deadlock with new strike

Tensions between Morocco’s public health sector and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection have escalated, as doctors and healthcare unions announce plans for a national strike in protest of government policies.

The Independent Union of Public Sector Doctors has called for a two-day warning strike on Thursday and Friday, November 7 and 8, 2024, at all public health institutions, excluding emergency and intensive care units. The strike coincides with a similar action announced by the National Health Sector Union Coordination, which includes six sectoral unions, warning of further protests if the government fails to honor agreements made with workers.

In addition, internal and resident doctors have planned a separate strike on November 5 and 7. According to a statement issued by the Independent Union, doctors will enforce strict medical practice conditions and sterilization procedures in all hospital departments and surgical units, with the exception of emergency cases.

The union also announced it would suspend the issuance of driver’s license certificates and medical certificates (except for sick leave) during the strike.

The unions’ demands extend to several areas of concern, including a boycott of national health programs like OZYX and other similar initiatives. The union also condemned the lack of minimum medical standards in government-run school health campaigns and random surgical campaigns that fail to meet recognized patient safety and medical care protocols.

Healthcare workers will also stop performing administrative tasks such as periodic reports, patient records, and statistics, except for notifications of reportable diseases and certificates for births and deaths.

The union has cited ongoing concerns about the undermining of healthcare workers’ rights, particularly doctors, pharmacists, and dentists. These groups feel targeted by government policies that fail to offer real guarantees for preserving their status as full public employees. Additionally, the centralization of wages from the national budget, rather than from individual health sector entities, remains a key point of contention.

Criticism has also been directed at the government’s failure to increase wages for doctors, while other public sector workers receive pay raises. The union believes this is an evasion of their core demands, particularly the promotion of two grades above the current framework — a provision agreed upon in 2011 but yet to be fully implemented.

The strike action comes at a time of heightened concern over the 2025 Finance Bill, which proposes eliminating health sector staffing positions and shifting the responsibility for paying wages to regional health groups instead of the national budget.

The union is calling for wage centralization and a full public employee status for healthcare workers, with the government urged to retract the provisions in the Finance Bill and honor its commitments to the health sector.

Despite the growing discontent, it remains unclear whether the strike will achieve significant results, as the government has not yet responded to the unions’ demands.

This is the latest in a series of protests by healthcare workers, who have faced increasing challenges in the Moroccan public health system amid rising demands for better working conditions and resources.