Morocco, Italy Discuss Strengthening Health, Social Protection Cooperation

Rabat - Minister of Health and Social Protection, Khalid Ait Taleb, held talks, on Thursday in Rabat, with the Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to Morocco, Armando Barrocco, accompanied by a large delegation from his country, on the means to strengthen cooperation opportunities in the health and social protection sectors.This meeting is part of the policy of strengthening bilateral relations in a number of areas, notably the promotion of fruitful cooperation in the health and social protection sector, in line with the shared aspirations of the two countries, and in accordance with the High Instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to launch a radical and far-reaching reform of the national health system.On this occasion, a Foundation project 'Mama Sofia: Reducing care distances' was presented by its founder and president, Zakia Seddiki. It is meant to establish a partnership between the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and this charity, which provides social protection and healthcare for chi ldren in difficult situations around the world, particularly in African countries.Speaking at the meeting, Aït Taleb pointed out that the "Mama Sofia" pilot project came at the perfect time, given the ongoing overhaul of the national healthcare system, launched by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection to accompany the Royal Project for the generalization of social protection."Digitization is a major pillar, given its role in improving the management of health resources and the decision-making process," he added, underlining the "full momentum" underway to set up an integrated, intelligent national health information system based on electronic patient records.Essentially aligned with this pillar, the Mama Sofia project will be a cutting-edge initiative promoting more efficient management of healthcare resources, reduced costs, improved efficiency of care, and equity and quality in access to care across the country, he said.For Seddiki, this cooperation project makes Italian technological excelle nce available to Moroccan healthcare professionals.This project, which enables technology to be disseminated on a massive scale, bears witness to concrete collaboration between institutions, civil society and business, and also reflects the commitment of the "Mama Sofia" Foundation to promoting ethical and social values, she stressed.For his part, the Italian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco was "very satisfied" with bilateral relations, which are enjoying a very positive dynamic in all areas of cooperation, stressing the need to strengthen this cooperation in the health sector through the provision of shared skills and expertise.Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse