HIBAPRESS – Ahmed El Masaad
The city of Oujda witnessed rapid developments today, Tuesday, October 13, 2026, in the region's health sector file, following the security authorities' confrontation with a large protest march organized by the Unified Office of the National Health Union (Moroccan Labor Union) at the Mohammed VI University Hospital Center, which was heading towards the headquarters of the Oriental Region Governorate.
This escalating step comes after the blockage of social dialogue with the center's administration, and the continued tension due to what the union described as "a lack of serious response to the just demands of the workers, and the adoption of a policy of intransigence and obstruction."
Following the prevention of the march in the public street, the provincial authorities intervened to contain the crisis. The headquarters of the Oriental Region Governorate hosted an official meeting this Tuesday, October 13, presided over by Mhammed Atfaoui, the Governor of the Oriental Region, with the participation of the Director-General of the University Hospital Center, the Unified Office of the National Health Union, and the local secretary of the Oujda Unions Confederation (UMT).
Hamid Mohamed, the General Secretary of the Unified Office at the University Hospital Center, stated that the meeting was dedicated to diagnosing the crisis situation at the center and presenting the union's demands. The meeting concluded with an agreement on a specific roadmap to address the issues in stages.
The demands presented for negotiation are based on two main pillars:
– Improving Health Services and Patient Care: The urgent demand for the provision of essential medicines and medical supplies, and solving the problem of distant medical appointments, to avoid direct friction between workers and citizens due to a lack of resources.
– The Administrative and Financial Situation of the Workforce: The demand to stop administrative abuses and retaliatory punctuality tracking, and the payment of outstanding financial dues, foremost among them guardianship allowances according to the incentivized formula for 2024, and pending travel allowances since 2023, with an investigation into the eligibility criteria for 2020 and 2021. In addition to opening internal and external transfer opportunities, holding recruitment exams to fill the severe shortage in human resources, and settling promotion dues.
– Protecting the Workforce and Preserving Dignity: Denouncing the assault on a nurse by the administration of the Regional Oncology Center, and demanding the provision of necessary legal and professional protection for health personnel.
According to what the union office announced, it was agreed within the roadmap to hold two decisive meetings:
The first meeting (Wednesday): Will be held tomorrow with the administration of the University Hospital Center to discuss the general demands in detail.
The second meeting (Friday): Will be dedicated to discussing the demands of the workers at the Regional Oncology Center in Oujda.
The union official confirmed that the Moroccan Labor Union will evaluate the outcomes of these meetings based on the tangible results and solutions that emerge from the negotiation sessions, emphasizing that the decision to resume or suspend protest actions remains contingent on the extent to which the administration and relevant authorities respond to the demands of the health workers.
