The number of HIV-positive people in Morocco is steadily increasing and probably “exceeds 15,000,” said a Moroccan expert Tuesday, quoted by the official Maghrebe Arab Presse (MAP).
The head of the infectious diseases department at the Casablanca Ibn Rochd University Hospital, Hakima Himmich, was quoted as saying that the health ministry had found it difficult to collect accurate figures on HIV-infected people, because several physicians were not reporting diagnosed cases.
She also said that a large number of doctors did not have a thorough knowledge of the disease, and that laboratories with equipment for screening for the virus were located only in Rabat and Casablanca.
“To remedy the situation, the health department has embarked on a project to set up medical analysis laboratories in all Moroccan cities,” Himmich said.
The health department contributes 50 percent of the AIDS treatment costs, which stand in some cases at Dh6,000 per month (about $521).
The French government is also providing Morocco with material aid, she added – Albawaba.com
