On 8 September 2023, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit central Morocco, killing 2,862 folks and leaving round 6,000 folks injured.

The earthquake primarily hit the agricultural space of the High Atlas Mountains, the place there have been landslides, collapses and paths have been minimize or troublesome to make use of. In this area, entry to distant and rural villages already troublesome to achieve has been additional affected by the earthquake.

In the speedy aftermath of this tragedy, on 9 September, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) despatched emergency groups to evaluate the humanitarian and medical scenario in probably the most affected areas, within the provinces of Al Haouz, Taroudant and Chichaoua. Five MSF groups assessed 30 places in complete.

The total response of the Moroccan authorities, bilateral companions and the Moroccan folks was outstanding. There was a speedy mobilisation of emergency response plans from the Moroccan Ministry of Health, army and civil safety. The set up of superior medical posts, area hospitals and referral capability have been essential to make sure an pressing medical and humanitarian response in a well timed method.

“We saw entire villages destroyed, roads collapsing, and electricity cut off,” says Fouzia Bara, MSF nurse who was a part of our first groups in Morocco.

“Despite this, the Moroccan authorities, with the support of some states, managed to remove people from under the rubble, treat the injured, use helicopters to transport the injured from the most remote areas, and distributed food and other materials to affected people.”

Our groups famous the comprehensiveness of the Moroccan authorities’s response and located only a few gaps. On high of the evaluation, we offered six donations in response to particular wants expressed on the time by well being centres or hospitals between 12-17 September.

These focused donations have been coordinated with the Moroccan authorities. They contained medical tools and medicines, equivalent to injectable medicines, analgesics (ache killers), antibiotics, insulin and medical tools.

Currently, folks most severely affected by this disaster urgently want psychological assist. This contains search and rescue groups and frontline volunteers.Our groups talked to dozens of distressed men and women in closely affected areas in all places that we assessed.

Most had misplaced relations, associates or noticed their homes and villages flattened. Some have been nonetheless ready for the our bodies of their family members to be recovered, acutely conscious that stay rescue was now not an choice.

We will present mental health actions and psychological first help assist to native organisations and individuals who have been affected, in addition to to frontline staff.

Our groups will work principally by means of networks of Moroccan psychologists, social staff, heath promoters and different volunteers, who’ve been mobilised because the starting of the response. Psychological first help is essential to decreasing coping mechanisms and connecting folks to current providers.

Our foremost actions will encompass offering psychological assist to folks affected and to frontline volunteers, to assist Moroccan Ministry of Health medical and paramedical groups, to run well being promotion and psychological well being campaigns, whereas additionally coaching and supporting native teams on psychological first help.