Morocco and AfDB on Front Line in Fight against Covid-19

18 March 2021 Printable Version

Abidjan - Morocco and the African Development Bank (AfDB) are on the front line in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, writes the Pan African Financial Institution on its website.

To deal with the emergency situation, the AfDB recalls having supported Morocco by "providing more than 380 million euros through the support program for Covid-19 response (PARC-19) and additional funding of the support program for improving social protection (PAAPS-FA Covid-19)".

Significant resources have been mobilized: 54 hospital emergency departments have been rehabilitated, nearly 670 new intensive care beds installed and more than 30 new screening centers became operational. Pharmaceutical devices specific to the virus have also been funded, it says.

These efforts, "which are bearing fruit, made it possible to prevent the health situation from deteriorating", underlines the AfDB.

"The recovery rate in Morocco, now at 90%, is among the highest in the world," said Abdelouahab Belmadani, director of planning and financial resources at the Ministry of Health, quoted by the AfDB.

"The resuscitation capacity has tripled in nine months, with hospitals were equipped in record time with 6,000 intensive care beds. The AfDB has supported us from the outbreak of the pandemic, a fact that helped us act quickly and efficiently," he added.

Morocco has set for itself the goal of fully containing the pandemic. The effectiveness of its health response depends on it. Thus, the acquisition of more than 200,000 screening kits received the institution's support.

"Our laboratory alone has grown from an annual capacity of 2,000 tests per year to 5,000 tests per day. It is a national achievement", said Professor Hicham Oumzil, head of the department of virology at the National Institute of Hygiene (INH), also quoted by the Pan-African Bank.

Regarding the economic and social challenges related to the pandemic, the AfDB recalls that support for the private sector and the preservation of jobs were also among its priorities.

The institution supported the public aid granted to vulnerable employees during the first months of lockdown and backed up mechanisms facilitating access to finance for companies. More than five million households were supported, 800,000 employees helped and 40,000 businesses were able to benefit from loans guaranteed by the State, it says.