The doctors of the Rabat Children's Hospital found themselves on the morning of Wednesday 30 May at the entrance of the hospital to express their growing dissatisfaction with the hospital director. The protest, which has been going on for several months, mainly opposes the latter to the teacher-researchers of the hospital, some of whom have received a letter from the hospital management, accusing them of illegal practice of consultation. Nothing less! In clear, she reproaches them for consulting in their respective services while a room, initially planned for hospitalisation, has been inadequately converted into a consultation room. Something that the chief doctors professionally refuse. No consultation was previously put in place by the hospital management to resolve this type of problem and it seems closed to any mediation.

"She should take care of the management of the hospital rather than interfering in the practice of medicine," declares an old and respectable doctor of the establishment. It would seem that the fact that the director is not herself a teacher-researcher does not allow her to understand the meaning of the protest. She refuses that practitioners consult in their respective services and at the same time she complains of a consultation deficit. A situation that is, to say the least, contradictory.

To this movement also joined the entire paramedical staff who demand dignity and consideration for the profession. Consideration and dignity flouted especially in terms of benefits and remuneration. Deductions would be practised in an outrageous and abusive manner.

The Rabat Children's Hospital, inaugurated in 1977, has a bed capacity of 500 beds which remains insufficient. Knowing that "the hospital welcomes children under 17 years old 24/7, for simple illnesses or complex pathologies requiring medical expertise and high-level care". Similarly, the care of patients is provided by the hospital, which means that "safety standards are largely exceeded in the hospital. The standard is 1 nurse for 7 patients, whereas in reality, it is largely exceeded with 1 nurse for 50 patients. The overcrowding means that sometimes patients are operated on the floor".

Sometimes, the hospital, overwhelmed, cannot provide adequate care to the child. When they arrive at the right time, premature babies are placed in incubators. And if there is no more room in the relevant service, they are welcomed anyway with the means at hand in other services. Because 90% of the hospital's budget is swallowed up in the "Operating" section and very little remains for medical equipment or medicines.

In figures, the bed capacity of the Rabat Children's Hospital is 500, while annually the number of consultations is estimated at 100,000, that of admissions is 20,000, while hospitalisation days amount to 130,000 and surgical interventions total 10,000.