Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
March 11 , 2006

Divorce files plunge after new family code.
Moroccan working women: choice or obligation?
Moroccan women waiting for nationality code enactment.
Moroccan family code stresses equality between men and women.
Family code: Women still need to integrate code provisions two years after its promulgation.
Cancer awareness, medical services should be improved in Morocco, report.
Lebanese singer calls for fight against AIDS in Morocco.
Over half a million persons took literacy classes in 2005, Minister.
Women, children benefit from medical check-up and surgery in Rabat.
IT: Second phase of Ajialcom programme launched in Rabat.
Morocco, expert in greenhouse culture.
Government allocates USD 300Mn to promote employment, minister.
Message in bottle from USA ends up in Morocco two years later.
Kidney transplantation very weak in Morocco, expert.
AIDS, Cancer test campaign starts in Khemisset.

Divorce files plunge after new family code.
By Bachir Niah 3/8/2006

Two years after the introduction of the new family code, current data show that the number of divorce files has decreased significantly. They plunged from 44,922 in 2003 to 29,668 in 2005, said Yasmina Baddou, Secretary of State to the Minister of Social Development, Family, and Solidarity. In an interview with Morocco Times, on the occasion of the International Women's Day, March 8, Baddou stressed that the new family code has contributed, to a large extent, to the creation of a favourable atmosphere for qualifying and promoting the status of women in Morocco, socially, economically, and politically. She said that "March 8 is an occasion for assessing the status of women, particularly in Morocco, and drawing up large-scale programmes to upgrade the status of women."

The secretary of state underlined in this respect that the advent of the family code shows the special care that the King attributes to women's issue and his keenness to improve women's living conditions. "The code is special insofar as it has drawn a demarcation line between two eras. Here we can talk about pre- and post-family code. It enabled the Moroccan woman to make salient achievements, at many levels," she stressed.

The main achievement of the code, she added, is that it has changed the mentality. "The family code was not exclusively for women; it is rather a modern social project, aiming at making women reach a prominent position in society." The official argued that although, professionally, women were treated as mature beings before the family code, they were considered immature within the family and were deprived of basic rights.

One of the main developments that characterised the year 2005 is the introduction of the National Charter for the promotion of women's image in the press, which was ratified by the different actors in the domain. "The charter was an important step towards changing the stereotypical image used by the press and which reinforces the inferiority of women" Baddou underlined. A similar move was made by the Ministry of Education, at the level of textbooks, "so as to give women the position they deserve."

As for women in rural areas, the Secretariat of State in Charge of the Family is organising a national forum on March 8 in Ouarzazat, which houses a multi-desciplinary centre for women. The forum will bring together governmental and non governmental bodies as well as experts and representatives of international cooperation agencies. Concerning illiteracy, Baddou said that her department is sparing no effort to cut the rate of illiterate women, pointing out that it has a clear strategy and "we are sure that we are going to overcome this phenomenon in the few coming years."
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=13366 
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Moroccan working women: choice or obligation?

Work has long been a right for which women struggled. Women had to militate to gain the right to work, and then to prove they are efficient in it. But gaining the status of a "working woman" is not always a privilege. While some women work for self-fulfilment and financial independence, others look for jobs due to hard financial or social conditions. Self fulfilment is the most recurrent word you would hear when you ask women about the reason that makes them work. Women in Morocco, especially in urban areas, have succeeded in breaking the idea that home is the only right place for them.

Women have in fact proved they are skilful in many fields. Although the participation of women in active life in Morocco constitutes only 18% of the active population, according to a recent official report, Moroccan women have successfully explored various domains. Today, Morocco has female MPs, ministers, sportswomen, pilots, intellectuals, business leaders, and NGO activists. These women have chosen to be active in the public sphere, sometimes at the expense of their private lives. Yet, work is sometimes an obligation rather than a choice.

Many women find themselves obliged to stop their studies and look for a job to financially support themselves and their families. This is usually the case of young women coming from a large family where the father's salary is the only source of income. "I don't regret my decision to leave school because my work has given me a stable salary and allowed me to help my family," said Loubna, 20, dressmaker. "I have three sisters and brothers, in addition to my mother. My father is the only bread-earner, so there must be someone to help him," she added.

In some other cases, women see work as a way to guarantee future social security. A married woman who has no job is financially dependent on her husband. This, for some women, constitutes an uncertain situation. "I need to work to secure my future and that of my children after I get married," Sanae, a 26-year old diploma holder, told Morocco Times. "If I have problems with my husband and we divorce, I, as a mother, would do my best to have the custody of my children. But what if I don't have the financial means to take care of them? We see many women around us suffering from this problem; that's why work is necessary," she added.

Be it a choice or an obligation, Morocco today still needs the contribution of women who can significantly take part in the development of their country. Compared to the 18% women active in social life, men are still ahead with 55% of the population. "Today, young girls excel at studies in all fields. Why would they waste their skills and stay at home while they can contribute to the development of their country?" comments Fatima, a high school professor.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=13361 
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Moroccan women waiting for nationality code enactment.
By Karima Rhanem 3/7/2006

Will March 8 bring something new for the Moroccan women regarding the ratification of the nationality code, which prevented in the past children from Moroccan women and foreign fathers from their rights as Moroccan citizens? Will World Women's day be an occasion for the Moroccan government to announce what it has done to implement the instructions of the King who granted the citizenship to children born to Moroccan mothers?

Moroccan women all over the world welcomed with great joy and satisfaction the King's decision to grant their children born to non-Moroccan father the right to obtain the Moroccan citizenship. However, their hope soon faded when faced with the slow implementation of the King's instructions by the Moroccan government.

King Mohammed VI declared on July 30, 2005, that children born to Moroccan mothers will now enjoy the right to obtain Moroccan citizenship that children of Moroccan fathers already enjoy. "I have decided, in my capacity as King and Amir Al Muminin (Commander of the Faithful), that a child born to a Moroccan mother shall have the right to obtain Moroccan citizenship," announced HM King Mohammed VI in an address to the nation on Throne Day (30 July).

The king's promise of citizenship equality for children of Moroccan mothers and children of Moroccan fathers brought long-awaited relief in Morocco and abroad. He explained his decision was made as part of his ongoing commitment "to build a united nation committed to democracy and a principle of gender equality that preserves the rights of children and protects the unity and harmony of the family and its authentic national identity."

Bouchra Moftazada, a Moroccan born in Casablanca to an Egyptian father, welcomed the new citizenship law with joy and satisfaction. "You can't imagine my feelings ... I have been longing for this for more than 23 years," Bouchra told Morocco Times. If the code is applied, Bouchra will no longer have to go to local authorities every year to renew her residence permit, without which she could face deportation. She tried unsuccessfully for 23 years to obtain Moroccan citizenship, and is still waiting for the implementation of the code.

Naîma Chaimouma, the daughter of a non-Moroccan father, also expressed her joy on hearing King Mohammed VI's speech. "My feelings were... I felt as if I were a newborn. 30 July is my real birthday from now on." She is now awaiting the official enactment of the new nationality law in order to apply for Moroccan citizenship. Without citizenship papers, the only document proving Chaimouma's existence is her birth certificate. Documentation is necessary in Morocco for rights such as education, healthcare, and marriage.

The children of Moroccan mothers have always applied for citizenship, but many were discouraged by the complexity and slowness of the process. F. Khadija, another Moroccan, fled Algeria after the death of her husband to start a new life in her native country. However, a few days after arriving in Morocco, her daughter received an expulsion order. Unwilling to be separated from her child, Khadija was forced to leave the country. Naima and others in her situation are pleased with the fact King Mohammed VI has instructed the government to swiftly finalize the new nationality law. But now, after seven months, the concerned women are still waiting for a move from the government.

To put pressure on the government to hasten the procedures, several actors in the women's field have created an association aiming at examining the problems resulting from mixed marriages, among which the citizenship of the children born to Moroccan mothers and foreign fathers.

This initiative came as a reaction to the failure of the government to smooth and speed up the procedures related to the issue of citizenship and its incapacity to deal with hundreds of citizenship applications which are still stocked on the shelves of the relevant ministry.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=13338 
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Moroccan family code stresses equality between men and women.

A report by the African Development Bank (ADB) underlined that as part of its project to improve women's status and the family code, Morocco stresses equality between men and women and the rights and duties of spouses, reported MAP news agency. The report, entitle "The review of the Bank's assistance in education sector", indicated that projects funded by ADB have participated in the modernisation of the society, with the emphasis on girls' schooling, especially in rural areas.

The establishment of canteens, dormitories and scholarships have allowed girls to pursue their studies in better conditions, thus reducing the discrepancy between boys and girls, said the document. The report also indicated that the funds of the Bank allowed the introduction of alphabetisation programmes, from which about 80,000 women have benefited. The programmes helped to reduce the rate of women's illiteracy.

The ADB's activities in the Moroccan social sector go back to 1985, indicates the report, adding that the Bank had funded eight loan operations in the sector such as loan-projects, a support loan for reforms in the educational sector and a budgetary support loan for medical care. The report underlines that the priorities of the ADB include education, qualified working force and institutional development. It added that the Bank's assistance aims at boosting fundamental education in rural areas and the development of scientific and technical teaching as well as professional training.

The report also stresses the necessity for the ADB to mobilize its international experience to support Morocco in its educational reforms and measures and to encourage investments in the private sector. According to the authors of the document, the Moroccan government has undertaken a number of initiatives to introduce economic reforms and improve the population's life conditions. It is working hard to provide rural areas with electricity, water, medical care, schools and infrastructure. It has also taken measures aiming at eradicating precarious housing and illiteracy, concluded the report.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/Paper/article.asp?idr=2&id=13380 
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Family code: Women still need to integrate code provisions two years after its promulgation.

Two years after its entry into application, the Family code, whose adoption had caused an unprecedented revolution, has indeed contributed to establishing man-woman parity and the position of the woman within the family unit. Yet, the provisions of the code are not integrated by a majority of women, commonly known as "the weak gender." After having obtained equal rights, parental joint responsibility, the principle of separation of the goods and the abrogation of the principle of the wife's obedience, Moroccan women have to play an efficient part in applying the provisions of the code, which remains, however, the subject of total ignorance or erroneous interpretation.

The gap is, indeed, noticeable between the philosophy of the code, which liberates the woman from the archaic yoke, and the degree of awareness which reigns and which, as it happens, empties it (the code) of its substance.

Zoubida, 45 years, mother of two children, illustrates this example. Married for 15 years, she has had to face the sudden disappearance of her husband whom she suspects of having left the country. "He is surely in Italy. I think that he has joined his friend who left last year," she said with regret and resignation.

According to Fatima Moustaghfir, lawyer and parliamentary deputy of the Popular Movement party, women are ignorant about the code's provisions. There is also another problem of mentalities that are much more difficult to change than the laws, she affirms. In an interview with MAP, Moustaghfir drew attention to the gap existing between the legal equality stipulated in the code and its implementation. "It is necessary to militate so that the provisions of this code are applied as stipulated, and this is indeed a true challenge," Moustaghfir said.

She added that fighting stereotypes is dependent on the integration of the code's provisions in the school and university courses and on the reinforcement of the role of lawyers dealing with family issues. In addition to the fact that the code was not sufficiently explained to women, it is very important to fight illiteracy, which represents a genuine obstacle to the emancipation of women and encourages the rigidity of mentalities.

Moustaghfir also raised the questions of the dissolution of marriage, custody of the children and Nafaqa (alimony). "For the divorce, the new code requires the application of the procedure of reconciliation; for the custody of the children the code granted the judge more latitude to entrust the child to the right party if the person who was supposed to take charge does not fill the requirements, and likewise for Nafaqa (alimony), which should be ensured by the mother for her children, if she has the resources while the husband poor," she stressed.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/Paper/article.asp?idr=2&id=13363 
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Cancer awareness, medical services should be improved in Morocco, report.
By Kaoutar Tbatou 3/9/2006 Casablanca

In Morocco, cancer is still not openly discussed, rates of awareness are not high enough, and medical services still need to be improved, noted a recent report made by the scientific board of the Lalla Salma Association for Fighting Cancer (LSAFC). The report, presented on March 7 in Casablanca, aimed at surveying the population's information, perception, and attitudes towards cancer, in order to fix the major axes on which to concentrate for the association's future plans.

It found that the population's lack of awareness about cancer is one of the major causes for treatment delay. An average period of 12 to 18 months has been noted between the appearance of unusual symptoms (ganglia, cysts, bleedings, weight loss, etc.) and the first medical consultation.

To this, the report added fear as another reason which delays treatment, and therefore reduces chances of recovery. The doctors interviewed all reported that the majority of patients are pessimistic and lack the will to recover when they are informed of their illness. A total of 58% of the people surveyed confirmed they believe that cancer is incurable, and that it is therefore useless to waste time, effort, and money in treatment.

The report also drew attention to the role of financial conditions responsible for treatment delay. A total of 67% of the targeted population thinks that chances of cure depend primarily on financial means. This problem, in addition to awareness deficiency, leads patients to use traditional medicine (honey-based syrups, medical plants, bee-sting treatment, etc.).

Attention was also given to the way cancer patients are treated in Morocco.
Asked whether cancer patients should be isolated, a surprising 29% answered yes. The report also notes Moroccans generally tend to hide that they or their relatives have the disease. People still avoid even pronouncing the word "cancer", replacing it with expressions that imply fear and death.

Concerning the quality of cancer medication in Morocco, where 35,000 to 50,000 new cases are detected each year, the report called on doctors to improve diagnosis means, provide their patients with more information on the disease, and develop a more humane attitude towards patients.

The study, the first of its kind in Morocco, was made in two stages. The first, "qualitative", dealt with the way cancer is perceived in Morocco, the way people react to it, and the causes of treatment delay. It was based on group meetings with women and men from both urban and rural areas and from different socio-professional categories.

The second phase, "quantitative", was carried out among 400 people aged 25-65. It aimed at providing precise figures about the most common ideas about cancer, and its causes and treatment, healing chances, the role of financial conditions in cancer treatment, and the way cancer patients are treated.

The urban areas surveyed were Casablanca, Fes, and Beni-Mellal, the rural areas were Ain Harrouda/Sidi Ichou (Casablanca suburbs), Douar Skhinat (Fes), and Oulad Zidouh (Beni Mellal).

LSAFC was created by HRH Princess Lalla Salma, spouse of HM King Mohammed VI, in Nov. 2005. It is a non-profit association which aims at supporting the people who suffer from cancer and their families.

It also aims at providing support for the medical boards and research centres working on the disease, and create oncology centres in different regions of the Kingdom. The first centres will be created in Rabat, Casablanca, and Agadir.

The association will create many regional committees in different Moroccan regions, where it will conduct awareness campaigns to change the population's perception of the disease.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=13384 
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Lebanese singer calls for fight against AIDS in Morocco.
By Oumnia Guedda 2/28/2006

Jad Choueiri, Lebanese singer and video clips director, said in a press conference held Friday in Casablanca that even if he calls for youth's liberalism, they must above all protect themselves from contracting AIDS. The 25-year old artist said that he came to Morocco to participate in the kingdom's fight against AIDS and to promote his artistic image, tainted by the fact that his video clips incite moral decadence.

The event was organised by the Ruban Rouge Organisation with the collaboration of the Moroccan stylist Meriem Benamour. After MBC channel star Razan Moghrabi, TV host Carolina De Oliveira, Lebanese model and actor Saleh Abdelnabi, Jad Choueiri was invited by the Ruban Rouge Organisation, chaired by Simo Ben Bachir, to lead a sensitisation campaign against the dangerous creeping pandemic. "I represent the youth of my generation and I want to highlight the threatening danger which is so close to us, AIDS," said Choueiri about his visit to Morocco.

Jad Choueiri was harshly criticised by Arab media for directing sexually provocative video clips. But this did not dishearten him the least. His latest clip showed plainly a French kiss, which was described as "the straw that broke the camel's back." Choueiri was directly accused of inciting moral decadence and being a bad example for the youth. He was subjected to an avalanche of harsh criticism. "I have a provocative image, that is true, but I came here to make people understand that they have to be responsible and aware of the dangers of AIDS," he said. Choueiri has already performed in a free concert, held in Beirut, Lebanon, to sensitise people about the dangers of the pandemic. He openly showed the condoms to have a direct effect on his public. "We have to talk freely about sex and condoms, and we have to protect ourselves," stressed the artist.

The Lebanese singer has visited the Moroccan Association for Youth against AIDS (Association Marocaine des Jeunes Contre le SIDA). Choueiri has also taken an HIV test at the headquarters of the Pan-African Organisation against AIDS (OPALS) in Rabat.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=13179 
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Over half a million persons took literacy classes in 2005, Minister.
Rabat, Mar. 10

558,916 persons took literacy classes in 2005, revealed, here Friday, Moroccan Secretary of state in charge of literacy and informal education, Anis Birou. Speaking at a the annual meeting of his department external services, Birou called on the concerned parties to step up efforts to achieve the objective of one million beneficiaries per year in a bid to eradicate illiteracy. He noted that some academies have concluded partnership agreements with the elected in various regions of the country to motivate people take part in the literacy classes. Underlining the role of external services, which are aware of the regions characteristics, Birou stressed the importance of follow up and assessment as efficient means to achieve the objectives.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/over_half_a_million/view 
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Women, children benefit from medical check-up and surgery in Rabat.

Over 1,000 women and children from destitute families benefited last Saturday in Rabat from surgical operations, medical check-ups and a health sensitisation campaign launched by the National Union of Moroccan Women (UNFM) in collaboration with Action Urgent Association as part of the celebration of International Women's Day (March 8th). Rabiaa Lamrini, the UNFM's first vice-president, told MAP news agency that the organisation's objective behind these medical campaigns is to help and give support to the disadvantaged women and children. She added that the Union is carrying out, along with the campaigns, some action programmes for backing, training and apprenticeship of handicraft vocations which could contribute to the improvement of life conditions of these women and their families. She also pointed out that the role of the Union's regional office is not limited to the vocational apprenticeship given that a crèche was put at the disposal of children so as to allow their mothers to pursue their training in the best conditions.

Doctor Mohamed Acherki, the president of the "Action Urgente" Association, affirmed that an equipped mobile medical unit was set up during this medical day to carry out simple surgery operations. The campaign witnessed the participation of 45 general practitioners and specialists in internal medicine, paediatrics, gynaecology and gastrology, as well as 20 nurses. He added that the medical check-ups revealed that a great many women ignore they suffer from hypertension and diabetes, emphasising that the cases which required a sustained medical check-up were transferred to Ibn Sina Hospital in Rabat. In addition, women benefited from a sensitisation campaign for cancer and diabetes prevention along with some medical advises about family planning and children's education.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=13149 
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IT: Second phase of Ajialcom programme launched in Rabat.
3/7/2006

The second phase of Ajialcom, a programme aiming at creating community centers for youth to facilitate the use of New Information Technologies, was launched on Friday in Rabat. Within the framework of the 2006-2007 planning of the Secretariat of State in charge of youth, the government body has decided with the consent of its partners UNDP, UNDP regional programme of NTI for development in the Arab world, and Microsoft, to launch the second phase of AjialCom programme.

The partners have decided to establish 100 new community centers in different youth clubs, women's boarding homes, and centers for vocational training. Necessary equipment will be installed, and human resources will be provided along with facilities and services to educate, train and raise youth's awareness about different issues while using New Technologies of Information and Communication.

The signing ceremony of the second phase, which took place on Friday in Rabat, illustrated the will of the four partners to open new perspectives and opportunities for young Moroccans coming from disadvantaged areas in the Kingdom. The first phase of the programme, launched in 2004-2005, was devoted to consolidating the first experience of three AjialCom centers, and establishing seven new others in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods, mainly in Casablanca, Rabat, Tiflet, Khémisset Benslimane , Bouznika and Mohammedia. During the pilot project, different models of using AjialCom were tested to figure out how to make these centers useful for young people all over the country. Up to now, more than 3,000 young Moroccans were trained in AjialCom Centers.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=13147 
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Morocco, expert in greenhouse culture.

Morocco has the natural resources and scientific expertise that can make the country the leader in greenhouse cultures, the Holland-based news service "freshplaza" reported. "Whereas Morocco didn't have more than 10 ha of greenhouse culture in the 80s, it now has more than 15.000 ha, most of which is in the region of Souss-Massa," the website quoted Moroccan professor and researcher Abdelhak Hanafi as saying. The researcher attributes this achievement to the diversification in the production and an opening for new technologies. Besides tomatoes, Morocco has started to grow bananas, watermelons, strawberries and other sorts of fruit and vegetables in greenhouses as well.

The Moroccan growers use sixth metre high greenhouses and an average surface of 1 ha per culture. According to Hanafi, the improvement in the weather conditions and the reduction in the use of pesticides have resulted in a good quality product at a competitive price in the international markets. Many growers in the region of Souss-Massa have changed voluntarily to this kind of production because of their concern in keeping the high position of Moroccan produce, which is known for its unbeaten quality-price relation.

Horticulturally, Morocco is best known as a source of winter vegetables and citrus for Europe, but the development of a plastic greenhouse industry has catalysed the export industry. Most of Morocco's tomato exports are produced in unheated plastic greenhouses. The development of bananas under plastic is a unique achievement of Moroccan horticulture. Greenhouse culture is a means of providing a plant an improved growing environment within an artificial structure to improve its growth and survival.

There are heated greenhouses that maintain a minimum temperature. There are cold frames that only use the passive solar heat with no extra heat. And there are greenhouses that even cool the air. Most greenhouses maintain a higher indoor humidity. All greenhouses are an attempt to give the plant preferential growth conditions and control and stabilise the environment. Greenhouses are used for seed germination, vegetative propagation, maximising growth, creating "tropical" environments, and commercial production of plants.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/Paper/article.asp?idr=2&id=13346 
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Government allocates USD 300Mn to promote employment, minister.
Agadir, Mar. 11

Moroccan government has allocated USD 327Mn to promote employment notably among young graduates, revealed, on Friday in Agdir (600km southeast Rabat), minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Mustafa Mansouri. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 6th forum on training and employment, Mansouri also said that the State is committed to grant investors 85% of the value of the loan that stands at USD 2.7Mn.

He underlined that the government three-year plan aims to remedy to the current situation in the employment field through opening new horizons that promote self-employment and integrating graduates in the private sector. The minister noted that texts related to small enterprises are already finalized, calling on all concerned parties to join these efforts that would contribute in creating job opportunities and boost Moroccan economy. Initiated by Agadir Trade, Industry and Services Chamber, the forum aims to develop the employment sector, brief the economic actors on the region's potential and inquire about their needs
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box2/government_allocates/view 
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Message in bottle from USA ends up in Morocco two years later.
Washington, Mar. 11

A young Moroccan answered to a message in the bottle launched in Lynn (USA) two years ago. In a letter sent last week to Genevive Hernandez of Lynn, now a 13-year-old seventh grader, Assila Ahmed said he found the bottle about 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 18, 2005, writing in broken English : "I am a boy, 26 years old... I speak English a little." Hernandez, who was among a group of fifth-graders who on Nov. 20, 2003 put messages in bottles and cast them off from Lynn's shores that stormy day, sent a bright orange card wrapped in plastic bearing the address of the Brickett School in Lynn, where she attended classes two years ago.

Hernandez said she is amazed that her green Sprite bottle made it as far as it did since most of them either bounced right back to shore or ended up only as far as the Cape. "I thought it wasn't going anywhere," said Hernandez. "Mine was stuck on the seaweed." Students received replies from 14 people before Hernandez received hers. Most were from the Cape Cod area, one made it as far as England, but Hernandez's bottle had, by far, the longest journey, traveling 3,500 miles.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box3/message_in_bottle_fr/view 
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Kidney transplantation very weak in Morocco, expert.
Marrakech, Mar. 10

Only some 100 kidney transplantations were made in Morocco in the past 20 years, said nephrologist Professor Amal Bourquia comparing the figure with the number of this kind of surgeries in Spain where 5,500 such operations were conducted in 2005. Mrs Bourquia, also chairwoman of the Moroccan "Association for the Fight of Kidney Diseases", deplored the lack of information about «kidney transplantation in Morocco and the little interest in people suffering from renal diseases."

At a meeting here on Thursday on the occasion of the World Kidney Day and the second French-Moroccan meeting on nephrology issues, Professor Bourquia insisted on taking charge of the kidney deficiency patients because of the medication excessive cost, adding a haemodialysis session is charged MAD 15,000 (1 USD is about 9 MADs) and a transplantation surgery costs 200,000. Kidney transplantation, which can save lives, should be a national fight, she said adding the practice faces difficulties owing to the means and equipment needed and cannot be developed unless all concerned sides get effectively involved, calling for the drawing of a national strategy to remedy the situation.
« L'association marocaine de lutte contre les maladies rénales » was created in 2003 in Casablanca and aims at providing information on kidney diseases and haemodialysis to the public.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/kidney_transplantati/view 
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AIDS, Cancer test campaign starts in Khemisset.

A campaign for AIDS and cancer check-up is starting today in Khemisset, east of Rabat, MAP news agency reported. The campaign, which will run until April 15, will primarily carry out AIDS tests, but will also deal with other sexually transmitted diseases. Cancer tests will concentrate on breast, and uterus cancer. Some 2,000 people will benefit from the initiative. It will essentially target populations living in precarious conditions, and those residing in remote areas where they have no access to medical care. Three make-shift medical centres equipped with the adequate medical equipment will be available in Khemisset, Tiflet, and Rommani. The initiative is launched by the Province of Khemisset, in collaboration with the Pan-African Organisation against AIDS (OPALS), the Provincial Delegation of the Ministry of Health, and the Association of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians of Sale-Temara.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/News/article.asp?id=13353 
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