فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Azzrou (Ifrane Province) – Exclusive for Journal Name – In the first stop of his national inspection tour, Minister of Health and Social Protection, Mr. Amin Tahraoui, conducted a field visit to the 20 August Regional Hospital in the city of Azzrou, Ifrane province, Fès-Meknès region, on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. The visit, responding to royal directives from His Majesty King Mohammed VI and reinforcing Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan’s call for comprehensive health sector reform, aimed to assess the current state of health infrastructures and medical services provided to citizens.
The 20 August Regional Hospital, serving over 16,000 residents with a capacity of 150 beds, is a key healthcare facility in the area. However, the visit shed light on glaring contradictions between national reform efforts and the local reality marked by opaque exclusion. The minister held a meeting with the regional delegate, the hospital director, and medical staff, receiving reports of multiple rural clinics closures in the neighboring Oued Aferane community, such as Bousraf, Boukawar, and Boufarah clinics, exacerbating residents’ difficulties in accessing essential services.
National Reforms Bypassing Remote Areas
While many hospitals nationwide have been equipped with advanced medical devices and staffed with new specialists, the 20 August Hospital remains stagnant despite over a month since the launch of the comprehensive reform program. Local reports detail severe shortages of medical staff, outdated equipment, overcrowding in emergency and reception departments, along with repeated citizen complaints without tangible interventions. Parliamentary deputy Khadija El Salasi highlighted in a written question to the minister the suspension of many surgeries and absence of specialist doctors, forcing residents to travel to distant cities like Fès, Meknès, or seek private sector care.
This exclusion is not isolated but part of a historical pattern of developmental marginalization of Ifrane province, where health and development projects have been relocated to other regions despite pressing local needs. Official sources confirmed that the hospital recently received medical equipment deliveries in early August 2025, suggesting a potential corrective start, yet still insufficient to confront fundamental challenges.
Residents’ Questions and Calls for Equity
The situation has caused widespread frustration among local residents questioning the reasons behind deliberate exclusion, especially amidst royal directives emphasizing spatial justice. Questions such as “Why is Azzrou excluded from health sector advancement projects?”, “Who is responsible for this marginalization?”, and “Why don’t reforms reach the areas of greatest need?” echo throughout the community, supported by civil and human rights initiatives planning protests outside the hospital demanding provision of all medical specialties and adequate staff.
Local stakeholders agree that Ifrane province, with its strategic location and natural and touristic assets, deserves a prominent place on the national development map, particularly in health, which directly impacts citizens’ lives. In this context, Minister Tahraoui acknowledged “real difficulties” in rural areas, noting shortages in human resources and geographical challenges, while announcing national achievements such as new hospitals opening nearby, fueling hope for expanding such efforts to Ifrane.
Reform Prospects: Between Promises and Implementation
The minister’s visit represents a positive step toward addressing residents’ expectations, especially with progress reported in the near-completion of the day hospital project in Ifrane, with a 70-bed capacity and a cost of 88 million dirhams, expected to significantly alleviate pressure on existing services. However, hope remains pinned on effectively enforcing royal directives with a spirit of justice, to prevent 20 August Hospital from remaining an exception in the national health reform process. The minister’s tour will continue to other regions, with assurances that these visits will translate into urgent measures to improve healthcare in remote areas.
