On July 16, 2024, after several local marches, medical students gathered for a national march they called the "March of Rage," which was stopped by the authorities.
For over 7 months, Morocco's medical schools have been experiencing an unprecedented strike. In response to a contested reform and the absence of dialogue, medical and pharmacy students have recently announced new protest measures. This standoff with the relevant ministries could lead to a lost academic year.
Tensions between Moroccan medical students and the authorities have persisted for over seven months. The decision to reduce the duration of studies from 7 to 6 years sparked this ongoing protest, which continues to escalate, threatening a boycott of exams and clinical internships.
The situation escalated when the presidents of Hassan II University in Casablanca and Mohammed V University in Rabat decided to dissolve the student councils for medicine and pharmacy and ban all their activities on university premises. This decision came after students announced a new series of protests in various cities. The targeted organizations include the Medical Students' Bureau (BDEM), the Pharmacy Students' Council (CEP) in Rabat, the Medical Students' Council (CEMC), and the Pharmacy Students' Bureau in Casablanca (BDEPC).
The National Commission of Medical and Pharmacy Students stated that they had tried all possible avenues to reopen dialogue regarding their demands but were met with refusal from the Ministries of Health and Higher Education. The government remains firm in its decision: the 6-year training program will be maintained, the academic year will end as scheduled, exams will proceed according to the original timetable, and "agitator" students will be sanctioned.
For several months, medical students have been opposing the reform of medical studies through strikes and exam boycotts, which threaten the academic year. Their main demand is the rejection of the reduction in the duration of their training from 7 to 6 years.