فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Rabat: The crisis within the faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry has witnessed positive developments following separate meetings between the National Committee of Medical Students and representatives from the Ministries of Health and Higher Education. These meetings resulted in official commitments aimed at resolving the outstanding issues, most notably the matter of internship allowances.
The National Committee of Medical Students affirmed that the two ministries expressed a clear commitment to issuing a new decree that precisely regulates the disbursement of due allowances to students. This new decree is slated to take effect starting in January of next year, 2025. This decree holds significant importance as it will broaden the scope of coverage to include comprehensive insurance for students and the protection of their rights within the hospital institutions where they undertake their training.
In a related context, both the Ministries of Health and Higher Education emphasized their full adherence to the contents of the previously signed agreement, and stressed the necessity of accelerating the pace of serious and constructive dialogue between the concerned parties. They also underscored the importance of avoiding any unilateral decisions that could exacerbate the situation, particularly concerning the specific situation of students in the current academic year 2023-2024 cohort.
For their part, the students of the faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry reiterated their categorical rejection of any attempt to reduce the duration of academic training, emphasizing the absence of any logical justification for this proposal. They demanded the full respect of the principle of non-retroactivity of laws, to avoid repeating the mistakes that occurred in previous cases.
Regarding the specialization track, the Ministry of Health announced its commitment to unifying the legal status of all resident doctors based on a fixed-term employment contract of three years, with the possibility of extension or termination based on prior notice. The National Committee also called for the new cohort of resident students to enjoy the same rights and guarantees, coinciding with the imminent final ratification of their specific decree. The ministry affirmed that the residency examination will remain in its current format, with clear promises to increase the number of available positions and improve the financial compensation provided to resident doctors.
The meetings also saw the presentation of the initial version of the new digital platform specifically being developed to facilitate the management and disbursement of due allowances to students. This platform aims to enable students to receive their entitlements on a regular monthly basis, with a serious study underway regarding the possibility of retroactively disbursing arrears.
Furthermore, the discussions addressed the file of expanding hospital training spaces, with well-informed sources indicating that a number of faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry have already begun implementing this important initiative. This aims to accommodate the increasing numbers of students and ensure they receive high-quality practical training.
In a separate context, it was decided to hold a direct meeting next week at the headquarters of the Ministry of Health to discuss the specific issues of the Faculty of Dentistry in depth, with a focus on the particularities and challenges facing this vital specialty.
These developments come at a critical time and represent an important step towards containing the tension that has been prevailing in the faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry for months. Hope remains contingent on the actual implementation of these commitments and their translation into tangible measures that guarantee students’ rights and improve their training conditions.
