Eleven volunteer physicians have been working nonstop for days in the remote, hilly location of Ineghede, southwest Morocco.
For the districts impacted by the Al-Haouz earthquake, the Moroccan Health and Social Security ministry has deployed more than 2,000 general and specialised physicians, nurses, and more than 300 tonnes of medications, according to state news agency MAP.
“Between the second and third day (after the earthquake), we have remained here since the third day. Apart from chronic ailments that were not checked during the days when the douar (editor’s note: village) was devastated by the earthquake, we have seen a lot of trauma, a lot of wounds “Achraf Azouz, an emergency physician, remarked.
“Diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic disorders are among those that go unchecked. Yet the majority of the time, we care for patients who have suffered severe injuries and trauma.”
As of Wednesday, the Moroccan authorities recorded 2,946 fatalities and a number of thousand injured (Sep. 13).
If a new chapter has opened for survivors of the quake that struck Marrakesh and the regions to its south on September 8, fear of the future remains.
“I’m afraid when the cold season will start, it’s going to be a disaster because [peaople] here have nothing. They live in tents that can hold a dozen people, no hygiene, nothing at all. There’s enormous poverty. With the help of the local population and other doctors, [I would like, I wish] for them to continue this action of taking care of the population. “
Morocco announced the launch of an aid programme on Sep. 14 to support and rehouse the residents of about 50,000 buildings damaged in by the Al-Haouz earthquake.
