FOM Newsletter July 2002
Morocco Week in Review July 13, 2002 

A total of 1,2 million syringes arrived in the country on Thursday to ease the shortage experienced during the first day of the nine-day immunisation week, a Ministry of Health and Child Welfare official said. Disease prevention and control deputy director Dr Stanley Midzi said that the shortage on the first day last week was a result of being let down by a company given a tender to acquire the syringes. "It is true that originally we had a shortage of syringes ," Dr Midzi said. "The company given the tender let us down, although not deliberately." Dr Midzi said the local agent had a difficulty in getting foreign currency and the ministry had to run around to get the money on its behalf. When the ministry finally got the forex required and gave it to the local agent, it was discovered that the company that the local agent was importing from had sold out all the syringes it had in stock. "So it was not possible to get the syringes from that company in a day or two," Dr Midzi said. "I say the local agent let us down because they did not inform the foreign company to keep some for the country while it was busy looking for foreign currency." He said the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children's Fund "chipped in and assisted us to get the syringes from other companies". "The syringes worth about USD 68 000 reached the Beitbridge border post late Wednesday," Dr Midzi said. "With the arrival of this consignment, we have enough for the whole programme." Director for technical and support services Mr Davies Dhlakama said soon after arrival the syringes were loaded into Ministry of Health and Child Welfare lorries for distribution to all provinces and cities. The first day of the programme started on a slow pace last Monday with a shortage of syringes being reported at some centres. Although the situation in Harare improved on Tuesday there were still reports of shortages in some parts of the country with some centres having enough to last only for a day. The programme is targeting about two million children. The measles vaccine is being given as an extra dose to all children aged between five and nine years. It is a follow-up process as vaccines were only 85 percent effective and the 15 percent failure could create a critical mass. Children in Zimbabwe were also immunised against tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough and polio. Measles national immunisation days came about after a major outbreak in 1996, which saw 37 407 clinical cases and over 100 deaths being recorded.

International medical lab "Elli Lilly" and Moroccan one "Sothema" had donated the Moroccan health department 47,000 bottles of human-derived insulin, worth some 5 million DH (US$ 476,100). A statement of Sothema says this action of civism and solidarity comes to support the Moroccan government's drive to improve the treatment of diabetes in Morocco.

A total of 94,543 students passed the Baccalaureate exams in 2002, which is 64% of candidates, Moroccan minister of education, Abdellah Saaf, said last week. In a statement on the baccalaureate results, Saaf said the rates were of 71.17% for public schools, and 91.56% for private schools.  The number of candidates in all categories reached 169,014, i.e. 5,095 more than in 2001, he said, adding that the new evaluation system aims at bettering the quality of national education.

RABAT, July 8 (Reuters) - Morocco's consumer price inflation rose to 3.6 percent on an annual basis in May due mainly to a steep increase in food prices, the state Statistics Directorate said on Monday. On a monthly basis, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.1 percent in May compared with a 0.4 percent slide in April. The government's inflation forecast for 2002 is 2.5 percent.

Nominations are open for the inaugural King Hassan II Great World Water Prize, an international award established as a joint initiative by the World Water Council (WWC) and the Government of Morocco to encourage cooperation and sound management in the development and use of water resources. This award, created in March 2000 in memory of His Late Majesty Hassan II of Morocco who had a renowned interest in water problems, is aimed to serve as a political tool to stimulate awareness and reflection on water issues. The Prize is to be awarded to an individual, group of individuals, institution or organization in honour of a recent and outstanding achievement in any aspects of water resources such as scientific, technical, environmental, economic, social, institutional, cultural or political. Candidates must be nominated by any water-related organization, with winners decided on by the WWC. The WWC is an international water policy think tank with a number of objectives such as providing advice and information on water issues, identifying critical water issues and raising awareness about these problems. The award, which amounts to US$100,000 as well as a trophy and a certificate, is presented every three years in conjunction with the World Water Forum (WWF). The Prize will be presented for the first time at the 2003 WWF, on the theme "co-operation and solidarity in the fields of management and development in water resources."

Morocco's King Mohammed VI dedicated in Tangier Tuesday the "Lalla Meryem Institute for Autistic Children," the first of the kind in Morocco. The sovereign toured the institute which is built over 5,000 m2 and which comprises several administrative, educational and heath services, including a rehabilitation and medication wing, school rooms and workshops, and other facilities, in addition to a green space. The 5.5 million Dirham (US$ 520,000) worth institute was set up in cooperation between the ministry of women condition, family and child protection, and integration of handicapped persons, the ministry of health, the Tangier urban commune and the Spanish foundation "Catalana de Gas." The "Lalla Meryem Institute for Autistic Children" will benefit some 50 day boarders aged between 3 and 16 years. It will provide the pupils with psychological, pedagogical and health support and help parents have a better communication with them.

Moroccan minister of economy, finance, privatization and tourism, Fathallah Oualalou, received in Rabat Monday Miguel Fluxa, chairman and executive officer of Iberostar, a major Spanish resort chain operator. Iberostar mission in Morocco is part of an advertisement campaign conducted by Morocco to promote new sea resorts projected under the new tourism development strategy aimed at attracting 10 million tourists by 2010. The Spanish company was invited to visit the new sea resorts. The Moroccan ad campaign, that targets major promoters and developers, will be followed by an international tender in the course of this month. The Moroccan official said Spanish investments have increased in the fields of telecoms, water and electricity but still need to grow in tourism. Iberostar owns or manages some 70,000 beds worldwide, mainly in Mediterranean countries, in Latin America and in the Caribbean.

Servier, the leading independent pharmaceuticals group in France recently started construction work on a new production unit at the Nouasseur site in Casablanca, Morocco which will supply the local market. It will open in Apr 2003 with 20 M boxes/y capacity. The 2500 sq m unit, which represents a Dirham 60 M investment, complies with the strictest international quality standards. Between 1997-2001 Servier increased its turnover in Morocco by 50% to EUR 10 M. The group is the leading producer in Morocco of treatments for hypertension, diabetes, vascular disease and senility.

Rabat, Morocco's capital city, is preparing for the royal wedding, due to start as of Friday. Throughout the past days, this millenary imperial city has been undergoing an all-out lifting, with its streets being re-embellished and buildings re-painted. Flags and banners were planted in the city's major squares and streets, and gardens, replanted with new trees and flowers, are generously watered to be in full blossom when the festivities start. The Rabat population can only applaud the care their city is being granted. "We are more than proud that His Majesty the King decided to hold his wedding ceremonies in Rabat," says an inhabitant. "It's only normal that the city be embellished in this way," says another inhabitant, who adds "the King's marriage is a very special occasion and it happens only once in a life-time." The marriage act of HM King Mohammed VI to Lalla Salma was officially sealed last March 21 at the royal palace in Rabat. The festivities were initially scheduled to be held in the city of Marrakesh last April, but the king had cancelled them after the reoccupation by Israel of Palestinian territories and the besieging of Chairman Yasser Arafat of Palestine in his headquarters in Ramallah. Part of the preparations for the Royal wedding, more than 600 traditional Moroccan tents were put up in several parts of Rabat and its twin city, Sale. And 1500 horsemen will perform the typically Moroccan fantasia. Popular music troupes from all parts of Morocco will join the festivities. "We are more than gratified to share with His Majesty the King his joy," says an inhabitant. The festivities to mark the King's wedding made of Rabat the kibla of Moroccans from different parts of the country. Several of the city's dwellers even cancelled or put off their holidays just to attend the festivities."We heard that Moroccans and foreigners are flocking to Rabat from different parts of the world. So, how come that we, the inhabitants of Rabat, miss such an auspicious occasion," says another Rbati.

The Moroccan human rights ministry and the International Migrations Office have agreed to cooperation for the opening of a center for the rights of Migrants in Morocco. The center will be endeavoring to promote the rights of migrants as part of a human rights-focused approach. It will help improve national institutional training and information capacities, consolidate scientific research in the protection of migrants rights, upgrade partnership between national institutions and governmental and non-governmental organizations and develop networks of cooperation, dialogue and exchanges to face breaches of migrants rights with a special focus on most vulnerable conditions. Human rights minister, Mohamed Aujjar, said the new structure role will be to "promote the recognition and respect of the rights of all migrants, regardless of their gender, origin, race or social status." He said "this is a ray of hope for a human rights-focused approach that shows our rejection of the security approach to immigration issues."

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