The year 2025 for intern and resident doctors and pharmacists begins with strikes and protests. Thus Thursday January 2 will be a day of strike for this category which also plans a national sit-in on Wednesday January 8 to denounce “the procrastination” of the Ministries of Health and Higher Education in carrying out their requests.
2025 does not promise to be easy for resident and intern doctors and pharmacists. Indeed, their protest movements will continue, as announced by their national commission, the CNIR. Two actions are already planned during the first days of January: a general strike, with the exception of emergency, resuscitation and on-call services, is planned for Thursday January 2, followed by a national sit-in on Wednesday January 8. This follows “the failure to take into account by the Ministries of Health and Higher Education legitimate requests in this category”, underlines the CNIR in a press release.
It should be remembered that the year 2024 was marked by repeated strikes by resident and intern doctors and pharmacists. Their demands relate to the involvement of their commission, the CNIR, in the consultations around the implementing texts of law 08.22, relating to the creation of territorial health groups, and to their participation in the reform process of the third cycle of medical studies.
In addition, they are campaigning for the remuneration of non-contractual residents to be increased to 12,000 dirhams in order to align their situation with that of their contractual colleagues. Likewise, they are demanding an increase in compensation for resident doctors to 10,000 dirhams, justifying this request by their essential role in emergencies and in the various departments of the hospital.
In terms of training, the CNIR is seeking reforms to strengthen academic evaluation and practical training by introducing unified curricula for medicine, pharmacy and dentistry. It also calls for the development of post-graduate training in public universities.
Furthermore, the Commission insists on maintaining the current administrative status of resident and intern doctors and is opposed to the automatic transfer of contract doctors to territorial health groups. They also call for a reduction in the length of compulsory service in university hospitals from eight to two years and for the removal of sanctions in the event of resignation.
Resident and intern doctors at Ibn Sina University Hospital call for urgent measures
Resident and intern doctors at Ibn Sina University Hospital also warn of the closure and demolition of medical biology laboratories, a decision which, according to them, seriously compromises their learning. In a press release, they call for the implementation of urgent measures to guarantee the continuity of their training in optimal conditions, while awaiting the opening of the new hospital currently under construction.
In this regard, the CNIR expresses its concern about the repercussions of this closure on the quality of care. She believes that this sudden stop constitutes a hard blow for the training of future doctors and for the care of patients.
According to the Commission, the medical biology laboratories of Ibn Sina represent reference centers at the national level. In this context, it recommends a temporary transfer of laboratory activities to other structures, as has been done for certain hospital services. The objective is to preserve the training of more than 200 interns and residents under the supervision of the teaching staff, while maintaining the expertise and high level of services of these laboratories. The CNIR also warns against a prolonged interruption which could lead to “disastrous consequences” for this medical discipline.
