Fès : The Al Ghassani Hospital Centre equipped with a cardiac catheterisation unit

Inaugurated in the presence of, among others, the Wali of the Fès-Meknès region, Governor of the prefecture of Fès, Mouaad Jamai, this cardiac catheterisation centre, part of the cardiovascular department of the Al Ghassani Regional Hospital Centre, has state-of-the-art biomedical equipment and qualified staff. This regional project, the cost of which amounts to nearly 16.4 million dirhams, is the result of a partnership between the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, the Fès-Meknès Regional Council, and the "Injad" Association.




In a statement to MAP, the director of Al Ghassani Hospital, Rachid Ihamouten, stressed the importance of commissioning this unit, the first of its kind for regional hospital centres across the Kingdom, adding that the goal is to bring care services closer to the populations and improve their quality by reducing waiting times for this type of intervention. For his part, the head of the cardiovascular department of the same hospital and interventional cardiologist, Adil Ouafi, indicated that this project is part of a vast upgrade project for the cardiology department of the Al Ghassani Regional Hospital, adding that the initiative, the result of a partnership between the Fès-Meknès Regional Council, the health directorate, and the Injad association, will allow vulnerable patients to access care in the best conditions.

This unit will allow a population of approximately 4.5 million inhabitants to access health services related to cardiovascular diseases and will contribute to reducing waiting times for specialised cardiovascular surgical interventions, in particular cardiac catheterisations.

The establishment of this structure is part of the rehabilitation of health infrastructure across the Kingdom, in application of the High Instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, relating to the reform and upgrading of the national health system, as well as the development of the specialised care offer, in order to accompany the implementation of the project for the generalisation of social protection and universal health coverage.

This centre, the first of its kind among regional hospitals, aims to strengthen the offer of specialised care in the Fès-Meknès region and improve the quality of services offered to patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases requiring urgent interventions, such as cardiac catheterisation, carried out under the supervision of a highly qualified and specialised medical and nursing team, in accordance with the most advanced medical standards and technologies in this field.

It also aims to alleviate the pressure on other hospital departments in the region and meet the growing needs of citizens for cardiovascular services, in order to reduce morbidity and mortality rates related to these diseases.

The regional director of health and social protection, Salima Saasaa, indicated for her part that in addition to this cardiac catheterisation unit which meets the required standards, the cardiology department of Al Ghassani Hospital will see the launch, at the beginning of next year, of the services of a cardiovascular surgery unit, adding that these structures are part of the royal project for the generalisation of Compulsory Health Insurance (AMO) and the strengthening of the care offer at the regional level. Previously, the Minister of Health and Social Protection chaired the proceedings of the ordinary session of the Board of Directors of the Hassan II University Hospital Centre (CHU) of Fès.

The board focused on evaluating the achievements of the CHU, approving the minutes of the meeting of the Board of Directors of the centre held on 13 July 2023, presenting the activities of the centre for the year 2023, as well as its administrative account.

The results of the implementation of the Board's decisions for 2023 were also evaluated, and the results of the execution of the budget of the Hassan II CHU for the year 2024, the action plan for the year 2024, as well as the draft budget for 2025 were presented.

The meeting also reviewed the cooperation agreements concluded by the said centre.