Bamako praised the new humanitarian initiation of the King of Morocco to set-up a field hospital in Mali

By African Bulletin on September 16, 2013

In a press statement, Malian Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, Ousmane Koné hailed this human initiative, expressing the gratitude of the government and people of Mali to HM the King and Morocco for this act of solidarity, which further strengthens the ties of cooperation and mutual support between the two countries.

This initiative will help consider further initiatives to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of health, the minister added.

For his part, President of the Mali-Morocco Friendship Association, Moussa Diarra, commended Morocco’s support to Mali on all levels, noting that “we highly appreciate the valuable role of Morocco in the resolution of the crisis in Mali.”

For his part, Malian journalist, Idrissa Maiga, praised the Moroccan initiative to set up a field hospital to help the affected people during the recent floods that hit Bamako and displaced persons who fled the violence in northern countries.

Lamine Sissoko, member of Malian Association “Battered Women”, welcomed the decision taken by Morocco, noting that the field hospital will be a great help for the organizations working in the social and medical fields.

Through this humanitarian initiative, Morocco intends to contribute to easing the sufferings of a population that have become, for more than a year, the victim of terrorist attacks flatly denounced by the kingdom and the international community. The King ordered that this humanitarian initiative be implemented imminently and in coordination with Malian authorities. The multidisciplinary medical-surgical hospital will be at the service of Malians and will reinforce existing medical capacities.

The measures seek to aid in carrying out its humanitarian mission, provide the needed medical services to Malians and support their steadfastness and alleviate their suffering in light of the difficult conditions facing them due to those years where insecurity and instability prevailed.

Since its deployment in different regions whether in Sub Saharan Africa, North Africa or in the Middle East , Moroccan medical teams at field hospitals have treated many patients and performed a great number of minor and major surgeries.

The Moroccan emergency air shipments of urgently-needed emergency medical will arrive soon to Bamako to help alleviate a critical shortage of medicines in the country’s war-torn North.

Although the fighting subsided in June, 2013, the 18-month-long civil conflict further intensified the effects of a lingering hunger crisis. An estimated one in five households in northern Mali face severe food shortages, a situation likely to worsen.

With nearly 300,000 people displaced within Mali due to the conflict, hunger and malnutrition pose additional challenges to the health and well-being of vulnerable children and adults. The Moroccan emergency medical aid will help reduce human suffering and curb the spread of deadly diseases like malaria and cholera that persist in crowded camps.

As the impact of the conflict on the people in the north continues to unfold, Moroco will continue working with the Malian government to keep abreast of critical needs in the country.

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