Strike Action by Dental Students in Casablanca
The dental students at the Faculty of Dental Medicine in Casablanca have taken a significant step by suspending all hospital internships at the Ibn Rochd University Hospital starting from September 8. This action follows a series of warnings issued by the students, who have now initiated an open-ended strike that includes a complete halt to their internships within all departments of the dental consultation and treatment center associated with the hospital. This decision marks a critical turning point in an ongoing struggle between the students and the hospital administration, as well as the Ministry of Higher Education.
According to a statement from the Student Bureau dated September 7, this mobilization stems from two unresolved issues: the overcrowding of internship spaces, which are insufficient given the continuous increase in the number of students, and the burden of funding medical supplies and equipment, which the students claim they have to cover themselves to treat their patients. The Bureau has previously raised concerns over this situation in a statement issued on July 24, demanding that any increase in the number of students allowed to undertake internships be accompanied by a prior enhancement of the facilities' capacity.
This strike is not an isolated event. Last year, students from the FMDC engaged in a prolonged boycott of hospital internships, protesting against the outdated condition of dental chairs and the operational status of the infrastructure provided. This ongoing discontent is part of a larger pattern of tension within health education sectors in Morocco, where medical, dental, and pharmacy students have increasingly protested in recent years against inadequate resources and the deterioration of clinical training conditions in university hospitals.
As reported by h24info.ma.
