Health Minister Vlastimil Válek travelled to Morocco at the beginning of May. The plan of the visit was to meet with his ministerial counterpart, the management of local hospitals and medical faculties. Martin Repko, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, accompanied him on the trip. "Morocco is a rapidly developing country in the field of healthcare, which is a professional reference system across the entire African continent," says Martin Repko. During the visit, the delegation discussed the possibilities of cooperation with Moroccan medical faculties and local teaching hospitals.
On the first day, the delegation visited the largest medical educational institution in Morocco, the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Mohammed V. During a discussion with its Dean, Professor Brahim Lekehal, the parameters of possible cooperation in the field of education and science and research were discussed.
The second day was dedicated first to a meeting with representatives of the Sheikh Zaidi Foundation private hospital and private medical school. During the meeting with the dean and executive director of the hospital, Professor Ali Benomar, the ten years of experience of Moroccan colleagues in teaching Moroccan and foreign students in the fields of general and dental medicine, non-medical medical disciplines, bioengineering and veterinary medicine were discussed. The Czech delegation also toured the campus, the simulation centre and the facilities of the individual departments of the hospital.
From Rabat, the expedition headed to Casablanca, an hour away, to the private hospital CIM Santé, where they could admire the excellent facilities of the above-standard bed stock and the very high standard of the regular wards. The hospital's director, Dr. Fahd Chaara, introduced the delegation to the specialized cardiac interventional program for which this medical facility is a top Moroccan facility with an international reputation.
"The quality of health care provided in both university and private health care facilities, as well as the level of professional training, places Morocco among the best quality health care systems. Undoubtedly, the development of further international cooperation in the field of education as well as science and research can be beneficial for both our countries and will support their institutional internationalisation," Martin Repko evaluates the visit.