Morocco: 15 Years of Innovation in Women’s and Children’s Health

The Strait of Gibraltar symbolizes the global inequities in health and human development that are determined by geography and by the mere fact of being born a few miles to the north or the south.  The narrow stretch of water—not even fifteen kilometres wide—that separates Europe and Africa marks one of the world's largest gaps in basic health indicators (such as maternal and infant mortality and per capita expenditure on health) as well as in education, gender and income.

For the last 15 years—starting with a joint initiative between the Hospital Clínic and the University of Barcelona—we have worked closely with the Moroccan Ministry of Health, and the country’s universities, hospitals and professionals, to support the work of improving maternal and child health. In fact, Morocco has made significant progress in this field in recent decades. The country’s maternal mortality rate fell from 300 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 100 per 100,000 live births in 2010. Even so, the current rate remains high, especially in view of the fact that 93% of maternal deaths are preventable, and that in Morocco 73% of perinatal deaths take place in a hospital or other health care setting.

In this context, ISGlobal has supported the work of the National Expert Committee on the Audit of Maternal and Neonatal deaths and has participated in the production of the country’s first national report on the causes of maternal deaths and the first multi-centre study of in-hospital neonatal deaths. 

We have also promoted the launch of the first biomedical research laboratory in the Moroccan hospital system. The fundamental aim of this work has been to strengthen national health research capacities and to provide the analysis and robust data needed to support decisions on whether to introduce or evaluate new vaccines, such as those against Hib, meningitis and cervical cancer. To this end, various studies have been carried out on the epidemiology and aetiology of meningitis in children aged under 15 years, on the epidemiology and risk factors for mother-to-child transmission of infection and, in children under five, on diarrheal diseases and acute respiratory infections (the main causes of infant mortality).

Other, complementary, lines of action and research include specialized training of health professionals, especially young researchers, and technical assistance aimed at improving medical care in childbirth and for pregnant women in second and third level hospitals. In essence, we try to help reduce inequities in the health of women and children in areas where simple and economical measures can obtain effective results. The following presentation summarizes much of the work done.