HIBAPRESS – Mohamed Zerrouk
The power outage at Al-Hassani Provincial Hospital in Nador last Monday has brought the issue of the safety of health facilities and their readiness to face emergencies back to the forefront of discussion. The incident raised questions about the management of this incident and its impact on the continuity of medical services within one of the province's most prominent health facilities. In this context, the Provincial Office of the Moroccan League for the Defense of Human Rights has intervened in the case, demanding an urgent central investigation to determine responsibilities and uncover the circumstances of what happened.
In an open letter addressed to several officials, including the Minister of Health and Social Protection, the Governor of Nador Province, the Ministry's Inspector General, and the Regional Director of Health in the Eastern Region, the League stressed the need to handle the incident with the seriousness it deserves, given the nature of the institution concerned and the sensitivity of the services it provides to patients. It also called for identifying the technical and managerial reasons that led to the power outage and assessing the potential damage that may have occurred to vital medical equipment.
Concerns are amplified, according to the human rights body, when it comes to departments that cannot tolerate any disruption in service continuity, most notably intensive care, emergency, maternity, and pediatrics. Some cases require continuous medical monitoring and constant operation of necessary equipment. The League considered that ensuring patient safety, especially critical cases, pregnant women, and infants, necessitates the provision of an effective backup electrical system capable of immediate intervention in case of any failure in the main supply.
The League's demands were not limited to investigating the causes of the incident but extended to calling for a comprehensive and independent audit of the safety and emergency management system within the hospital, including verifying the maintenance and readiness of backup generators and the efficiency of the equipment used to ensure energy continuity. The organization believes that identifying responsibilities remains a crucial step to prevent the recurrence of such incidents and to enhance confidence in the health institution's ability to deal with sudden crises.
Information regarding the incident indicates that the power outage occurred after a fire that affected the hospital's electric generators around noon. While the use of a backup generator managed to restore power to the morgue, blood bank, and administration, the outage continued in the emergency and intensive care departments, according to available data. In light of these developments, the League has called for official and transparent clarifications to the public regarding the investigation's findings and the measures taken. The question remains: Will the investigations reveal the weaknesses and lead to practical measures that ensure what happened at Al-Hassani Hospital in Nador does not happen again?
