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The director of theMohammed VI University Hospital of BouskouraPr. Ahmed Bennana speaks on the challenges of digitalization of the health sector, the multiple technological advances in the sector and telemedicine on the Médias24 set as part of the second edition of the International eHealth Forum which took place on October 30 and 31.
Media24. You have just participated in a panel on health sovereignty. Can we really talk about sovereignty in the health sector?
Pr. Ahmed Bennana. Can we talk about national sovereignty today? The answer is no, because the goal of national health sovereignty is a fairly long and complex process with multiple facets. We must be autonomous and sovereign in terms of health by 2030.
We must be able to produce everything that is needed and be strictly independent of foreign resources and products that are manufactured abroad. Producers are positioned such that they can develop strategic partnerships and choose the products and solutions they will produce. We are in this logic, but it is important to understand the limits of this sovereignty.
– You mentioned the example of the pharmaceutical industry and the production of medicines, but what about the production of medical devices and everything that is consumable?
– The Moroccan pharmaceutical industry is a strong industry, but there is still a need for innovative molecules and drugs which concern rare diseases or complex diseases which we do not yet have the possibility of producing and for which we depend on foreigners.
The biggest problem revolves around equipment relating to cutting-edge technology, for example we do not produce MRIs or scanners. In terms of developed technologies, we also depend on foreign countries.
On the other hand, we have momentum already underway and qualified human potential that is valued abroad. Morocco today produces and exports. We have precisely the means for our strategy and the vision that His Majesty King Mohammed VI wants, may God assist him. So this proves that we are really making real progress. This is a strong signal for us for the future.
– What does eHealth represent for the Mohammed VI University Hospital?
– eHealth is the whole, the base, the very essence of all the care processes at the Mohammed VI hospital. E-health is digital solutions, from access through diagnosis to treatment. In the operating room, we have neuro-navigation and artificial intelligence for rapid and instant diagnostics.
The Mohammed VI Foundation for Science and Health has launched extensive digitalization. All structures of the Foundation and the hospital have experienced extraordinary development regarding digital solutions, whether at the administrative or reporting level.
– Where is telemedicine? Is this an important topic?
– This is a question that is not inherent only to what is technological but to a design model which is a real need. It is this risk of disruption between the continuity of care between the hospital and the city. For example, a patient who is not eligible for 100% hospitalization, but still requires care or rehabilitation from time to time, can very well do so at home. Other patients cannot necessarily travel, so we do remote consultations and diagnostics, because we have very efficient means. The patient can benefit from the medical expertise of the hospital while being at home. It is an ongoing hospital-city transition project.
Telemedicine will be operational at the end of the year. The Mohammed VI hospital in Bouskoura is the pilot site for generalization. Concerning the management of the hospital-city transition, the subject is still under discussion regarding home care. There are regulatory aspects which are being refined in Morocco. Telemedicine is finding its place in the sector and will bring benefits to patients.
– Can a sick person in a douar have access to the same care as a person in the hospital? Are there awareness among these patients that the solution already exists in Morocco?
– In remote rural areas, this is something that is done. Why would we move, for example, an elderly and bedridden subject for an ENT consultation when we can do it remotely by a major specialist at the hospital level? There are many tools, including a suitcase where you have all the consultation and auscultation gadgets, etc. The application of telemedicine is not only in landlocked areas, but even in cities. This will reduce the pressure on hospitalizations and the risks, because when you are hospitalized for a long time, the risk of nosocomial infections, for example, is significant. We must avoid immobilizing a place that could be beneficial to someone else. That’s a lot of benefits in the city, and not just in remote and landlocked areas. These projects send a strong signal for a better future for health at the national level.
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