U.S. donates Morocco 2 intensive care field hospital systems
The United States government, through AFRICOM, donated two field hospital systems to Morocco’s Ministry of Health at a ceremony held Friday at the Ministry of Health’s logistics depot in Salé.
The first system is a five-bed Intensive Care Unit valued at $960,000 and the second system is a mobile emergency room valued at $700,000. These donations are part of a U.S. effort to support COVID-19 response capabilities in Morocco and are part of the broader military partnership between Morocco and the United States, said the US embassy in Rabat.
“Today’s donation ceremony is yet another milestone in the strong partnership between our two countries, focused on our joint fight against COVID-19,” said U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires David Greene, who attended the event.
“Our two countries have worked together extensively in our efforts to protect our citizens from COVID-19 and to prepare for other disasters and emergencies. These issues have affected all of us and require collaboration to combat them effectively,” he added.
This mobile field hospital donation follows the recent donation of a $1.5 million 30-bed field hospital destined to help combat infectious disease outbreaks in Morocco and is part of the more than $20 million invested in Morocco’s COVID-19 pandemic response, the embassy said in a press release.
The United States has worked with the Ministry of Health and other partners to raise awareness about COVID-19 risks, train healthcare workers, study vaccine effectiveness, enhance Morocco’s vaccine cold chain, and provide hygiene and laboratory equipment and supplies.
Morocco is an important U.S. partner on a range of humanitarian, disaster preparedness, and security issues, the embassy said, recalling that the United States and Morocco’s first responders annually participate in multiple regional exercises and engagements together for disaster preparedness, such as COVID-19 response.
These exercises and bilateral engagements include: African Lion, Maroc Mantlet, and the Disaster Response and Casualty Care.
