His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, inquired on Thursday in Tetouan about the progress of the implementation of the rehabilitation programme for the city's health facilities, which has a budget of 36.5 million dirhams (MDH).

On this occasion, explanations were provided to the Sovereign regarding the 2010-2012 triennial programme, which aims to develop and expand health coverage, improve the health services offered, and increase the efficiency of healthcare.

The programme, which provides for the rehabilitation of 12 health establishments (health centres, laboratories, and various departments of the regional hospital centre), mobilises investments of around 36.5 million dirhams, allocated to construction work (7 million dirhams), rehabilitation (17.5 million dirhams), and the equipping of health structures (12 million dirhams).

The city of Tetouan also has a regional hospital centre with a capacity of 350 beds, a tuberculosis treatment hospital in Ben Karrich (130 beds), a psychiatric hospital (90 beds), 15 health centres, two epidemic laboratories, and a reference centre. On the same occasion, the Sovereign laid the foundation stone for a Regional Centre for Physical and Functional Rehabilitation, which will be built within the grounds of the provincial hospital of Tetouan at a total cost of 10 million dirhams.

With a covered area of 1,500 m², this project aims to improve the provision of care for people with disabilities, strengthen re-education, rehabilitation, and orthopaedic fitting activities, implement a strategy for developing a community-based approach to disability care, and consolidate the efforts of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) in the fight against exclusion.

The future health centre will benefit more than 10,000 people with specific needs from the provinces of Tetouan, Chefchaouen, Ouezzane, and the prefectures of M'diq-Fnideq and Fahs-Anjra. It will offer its patients diagnostic and treatment services for malformation pathologies (children and adults), physiotherapy, functional management of speech, orthopaedic, and psychomotor disorders. It will also ensure the creation and design of adapted orthopaedic equipment, as well as the organisation of mobile orthopaedic missions at the regional level.

The regional physical and functional rehabilitation centre of Tetouan will be built as part of a partnership between the Ministry of Health (5 million dirhams) and the INDH (5 million dirhams).