Chaired by the governor of the province, Adil El Maliki, this meeting, which was attended in particular by the president of the Provincial Council, Kabir Maâchi, the heads of the relevant external services, and representatives of local authorities, was an opportunity to take stock of the progress of preliminary studies and work related to this ambitious project, which is part of the Support Programme for the creation of groups of territorial collectivities for the construction, equipment, and management of Municipal Hygiene Offices (BCH), initiated by the General Directorate of Territorial Collectivities (DGCT) under the Ministry of the Interior.
Speaking on this occasion, Mr. El Maliki indicated that this project aims to modernise and strengthen local public health infrastructure, both in urban and rural areas, noting that these new BCH will improve the management of services related to hygiene at the provincial level, particularly in the areas of health prevention, food hygiene, public health, and the fight against nuisances.
He also noted that the establishment of these health infrastructures is the result of close collaboration between the Ministry of the Interior, the Provincial Council of Essaouira, and the relevant territorial collectivities, with coordination ensured by local authorities, noting that considerable progress has been made, particularly regarding the mobilisation of the necessary land, the development of architectural and technical studies, as well as the launch of calls for tenders for the construction and equipment of the BCH.
According to the established schedule, construction work should start before the end of the current month, with a period of eight months for effective commissioning, the governor specified, calling, in this regard, on the stakeholders to closely monitor the execution of the work in order to respect the deadlines and ensure infrastructure that meets current standards.
For his part, the Head of the Territorial Collectivities Division at the prefecture of the Essaouira province, Zakaria Cherkaoui, presented an exhaustive presentation on the various components of the project, noting that the BCH, which will be deployed in the communes of Essaouira, El Hanchane, Talmest, and Tamanar, will cover all the localities of the province.
For their part, the recently elected presidents of the groups of territorial collectivities, responsible for the management of the BCH, expressed their commitment to ensuring the success of this promising project, which constitutes "a major step forward for public health and the well-being of the province's inhabitants".
Other speakers, including private partners, highlighted their willingness to actively contribute to supporting this initiative so that these BCH can fully fulfil their mission in the service of the population.
Furthermore, the meeting allowed for the discussion of the next phase of the project, which will mainly concern the supervision of construction work, the training of personnel responsible for the operation of the BCH, and the development of maintenance plans to ensure their proper long-term functioning.
