On September 8, 2023, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck central Morocco, killing 2,862 people and injuring about 6,000. Data source: Moroccan Ministry of Health, last updated September 13. The earthquake mainly struck the rural area of the High Atlas Mountains, causing landslides and complete or partial disruption of roads. The earthquake made it even more difficult to reach remote and rural villages in this region, which were already difficult to reach.
In the immediate aftermath of this tragedy, on 9 September MSF sent emergency teams to assess the humanitarian and medical situation in the most affected areas, in the Al Haouz, Taroudant and Chichaoua provinces, where five MSF teams assessed 30 sites.
The overall response of the Moroccan authorities, bilateral partners and the Moroccan people has been impressive, with the mobilization of emergency response plans from the Moroccan Ministry of Health, Army and Civil Defense being rapid. The deployment of forward medical points, field hospitals and referral capacity has been critical to ensuring a timely and urgent medical and humanitarian response.
Fawzia Bara, MSF nurse in Morocco “We saw entire villages destroyed, roads collapsed, and electricity was cut off. Despite this, the Moroccan authorities, with the support of some countries, were able to pull people out from under the rubble.”
The small town of Talaat Niakob, located 95 kilometers south of Marrakesh, suffered severe damage as many buildings collapsed in the earthquake. Morocco, September 12, 2023. © MSF/Freddy Liesner
In this regard, Fawzia Barra, an MSF nurse who was part of the first MSF team in Morocco, says, “We saw entire villages destroyed, roads had collapsed, and electricity had been cut off. Despite this, the Moroccan authorities, with the support of some Countries, including removing people from under the rubble, treating the injured, using helicopters to transport the injured from remote areas, and distributing food and other materials to those affected.
Our teams noted the comprehensiveness of the Moroccan government’s response and found very few gaps. In addition to the assessment, MSF teams made six donations in response to specific needs expressed at that time by health centers or hospitals between 12 and 17 September. These targeted donations were coordinated with the Moroccan authorities. The donations included medical equipment and medications, such as injectable medications, painkillers, antibiotics, and insulin.
It is noteworthy that the people most affected by this crisis need urgent psychological support, including search and rescue teams and volunteers on the front lines. MSF teams spoke to dozens of distressed women and men in severely affected areas in all the sites assessed. Most of them lost their relatives or friends or saw their homes and villages become ruins. Some were still waiting for the bodies of their loved ones to be recovered, knowing that getting out alive was no longer possible.
MSF teams assess needs in the village of Taharat, following the strong earthquake that struck central Morocco on September 8, 2023. Morocco, September 10, 2023. John Johnson/MSF Share
“We will provide mental health and psychological first aid activities to local organizations, affected people and frontline workers, through the networks of Moroccan psychologists, social workers, health promotion officers and other volunteers who have been mobilized since the first days,” says Parra. “Psychological first aid is essential to strengthen coping mechanisms and connect people.” with available services.”
MSF’s main activities will consist of providing psychological support to affected people and frontline volunteers, supporting medical and paramedical teams of the Moroccan Ministry of Health, running health and mental health awareness campaigns and training and supporting local groups in psychological first aid.
MSF began working in Morocco in 1997 providing care to underserved communities in Rabat, Casablanca and Tangier.
Our programs focused on providing maternal health care and sexual health care. In the early 2000s, we began providing support to migrants arriving in Morocco, by visiting their hostels and providing outpatient consultations and referrals via mobile clinics.
In 2010, MSF provided care for migrants who were injured during mass raids and expulsions by Moroccan police forces. In 2013, we handed over our projects to local health and human rights organizations.
2023-10-04 08:23:28
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